Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has debuted a new concrete alternative material as part of its participation in the fifth Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB 5), which is taking place now through February 11th at multiple locations citywide.
The firm’s Bio-Blocks technology is being presented as a replacement for traditional Concrete Masonry Units (or CMUs) and can reduce emissions on a project by up to 8% if used at scale. The blocks were fabricated with help from Prometheus Materials using microalgae that were then subject to the company’s patent-pending photosynthetic biocementation process. The results seen therein offer a one-metric-ton total offset, according to the product team.
Displayed in a spiral construction courtesy of the International Masonry Institute and J&E Duff, Inc., in The Mews space at their 167 Green development in the city’s Fulton Market District, the product demonstrates its future potential as a building material in reflection of the Biennal’s theme, This is a Rehearsal.
The effects of wind and moisture during Chicgo's fall will be observed as part of the delegation at CAB 5. Prometheus Materials President Loren Burnett added his hopes that the presentation "demonstrates how product development, design, and construction can come together to address the climate crisis in a meaningful way."
"Extending our history of material research and prototyping at the Chicago Architecture Biennial, Bio-Block Spiral introduces our collaboration with Prometheus Materials to develop an algae-based, zero-carbon alternative to the concrete blocks found everywhere in our buildings and cities," SOM's Design Partner Scott Duncan added.
A short film documenting the production process will be on view in the space adjacent to the structures until the exhibition's end. SOM also debuted its Whole Life Carbon Accounting service earlier this summer, extending its climate commitment to the greater industry.
The Bio-Blocks will be on view from 8 am to 8 pm daily. The Biennial's full list of exhibitions and contributors can be found here.
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