Clay 3D printing as a bio-design research tool: development of photosynthetic living building components

Crawford, Assia; In-na, Pichaya; Caldwell, Gary S.; Armstrong, Rachel; Bridgens, Ben

doi:10.1080/00038628.2022.2058908

Cited by 12 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Trial data that prove the efficacy of the proposal are not yet available (Evanson, 2019 ). A range of making practices are emerging that integrate living photosynthetic microalgae with experimental methods of digital fabrication for sequestering CO2 from internal building settings (Crawford et al, 2022 ). These new biocomposites incorporate flexible textile substrates, that is, cotton, hessian, polyester and canvas, to provide a range of algae laden matrices that continue to develop and change during the useful part of the material's life cycle (Stefanova et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: The Microbiology and Architectural Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards the microbial home: An overview of developments in next‐generation sustainable architecture

Armstrong

2023

Microbial Biotechnology

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Disruptive innovation is needed to raise the threshold of sustainable building performance, so that our buildings improve on net zero impacts and have a life-promoting impact on the natural world. This article outlines a new approach to next-generation sustainable architecture, which draws on the versatile metabolisms of microbes as a platform by incorporating microbial technologies and microbially produced materials into the practice of the built environment. The regenerative architecture arising from these interventions includes a broad range of advances from using new materials, to creating bioreceptive surfaces that promote life, and providing green, bio-remediating energy from waste. Such innovations are presently reaching the marketplace as novel materials like Biocement® with lower embodied carbon than conventional materials that adopt microbially facilitated processes, and as novel utilities like PeePower® that transforms urine into electrical energy and bioreactor-based building systems such as the pioneering BIQ building in Hamburg. While the field is still young, some of these products (e.g. mycelium biocomposites) are poised for uptake by the public-private economic axis to become mainstream within the building industry. Other developments are creating new economic opportunities for local maker communities that empower citizens and catalyse novel vernacular building practices. In particular, the activation of the microbial commons by the uptake of microbial technologies and materials through daily acts of living, 'democratises' resource harvesting (materials and energy) in ways that sustain life, and returns important decisions about how to run a home back to citizens. This disruptive move re-centres the domestic-commons economic axis to the heart of society, setting the stage for new vernacular architectures that support increasingly robust and resilient communities.

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Section: The Microbiology and Architectural Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards the microbial home: An overview of developments in next‐generation sustainable architecture

Armstrong

2023

Microbial Biotechnology

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“…Considering the need for future sustainable development and decreasing the carbon footprint of construction, recent studies have also explored the use of claybased bio-materials for robotic fabrication (e.g. Crawford et al, 2021). Also, an interdisciplinary study by Jauk (et al, 2021) using mycelium as a fibre reinforcement in 3D bio-clay printing verified that bio-additives may contribute to improving the tensile strength of clay blocks at the microscopic scale.…”

Section: Bio-materials and Cobot 3d Printing Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural Performance of Bio-Clay Cobot Printed Blocks

Shafiei¹,

Teixeira²,

Zhu³

2023

Proceedings of the 28th Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA) [Volume 2]

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Within the literature, there has been growing number of studies on robotic 3D printing of clay-based materials. Building upon this foundation and with the aim of improving environmental and structural performance of 3D printed blocks, this paper proposes a material mixture for robotic clay printing, particularly for remote settlements. Exploring three different mixtures of clay and algae for the base material, the paper particularly investigates the relations between the percentage of algae in the mixture and the resulted structural integrity of printed blocks by the UR10 robot. The printed blocks with different algae percentages are compared for their shrinkage rate, fissure sizes and deformation by evidence collected through photography and 3D scanning. The paper presents the initial outcomes of an ongoing research, highlights the positive effects of algae in the mixture for structural performance of the blocks. The proposed algae-based high-performance clay-based materials are designed to generate lower CO2 emissions as well. Adapting higher and collaborative construction technologies, the proposed material mixture and the outcome of the research would inform upgrading clay-based constructions in indigenous communities and moves towards a novel digital culture in remote societies.

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“…As scaffolds for mycelium composites, textiles and 3D-printed clay can produce detailed and bespoke geometries at the small scales needed for insects (Ilgun and Schmickl 2022). Digitally fabricated structures, such as 3D-printed clay (Crawford et al 2022), can support living organisms by producing surface patterns, roughness (e.g., layered grooves), and porosity that accumulate water and nutrients (Mustafa, Prieto, and Ottele 2021).…”

Section: Meeting the Stakeholdersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…De la mateixa manera que les estructures dels compostos de miceli, els teixits i l'argila impresa en 3D poden produir geometries detallades i fetes a la mida de les petites escales que necessiten els insectes i ser el suport per a compostos de miceli (Ilgun i Schmickl 2022). Les estructures fabricades digitalment, com l'argila impresa en 3D (Crawford et al 2022), poden acollir organismes vius creant patrons superficials, rugositats (per exemple, solcs en capes) i porositat per acumular aigua i nutrients (Mustafa, Prieto i Ottele 2021).…”

Section: Establir Estratègies De Materialsunclassified

I.N.S.E.C.T. Wall Twin: Designing for and with Insects, Fungi, and Humans

Parker,

Ilgün,

Lim

et al. 2023

TdD

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This pictorial confronts the urgent need to shift design practices in response to the past and ongoing destruction of habitat structures and the resulting losses of biodiversity. To do this, it illustrates the first iteration of I.N.S.E.C.T. Wall Twin: an architectural installation that endeavours to support coexistence between local insects, fungi, and humans. The installation is an outcome of the workshop “Interspecies Exploration by Bio-Digital Manufacturing Technologies'' during the first part of the I.N.S.E.C.T. Summer Camp (Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, August 2022). The 9-day workshop brought together a group of four organisers and nine selected participants to engage with the challenges of designing for and with other living beings. Aiming to develop novel approaches to creating urban habitat structures, the workshop involved parametric design, clay 3D printing, mycelium-based composites, and freeform crocheting. We explored questions of interspecies design by prototyping objects iteratively while conversing and reflecting. Our discussion lists the insights we gained from this process of collaborative and critical making. We offer suggestions for involving a range of human and nonhuman stakeholders in design; reflect on practical and ethical questions when working with living materials; identify challenges of foregrounding nonhuman needs while dealing with technical or logistical constraints; and outline ways to approach the complexity of intervening in ecosystems. These considerations may help inform the future work of designers who want to integrate the perspectives of multiple species into their designs. As a living laboratory undergoing continual monitoring, I.N.S.E.C.T. Wall Twin provides a useful foundation for developing further iterations and a community that exceeds the duration of the camp. --- The first and second authors contributed equally to this work

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Clay 3D printing as a bio-design research tool: development of photosynthetic living building components

Cited by 12 publications

References 37 publications

Towards the microbial home: An overview of developments in next‐generation sustainable architecture

Towards the microbial home: An overview of developments in next‐generation sustainable architecture

Structural Performance of Bio-Clay Cobot Printed Blocks

I.N.S.E.C.T. Wall Twin: Designing for and with Insects, Fungi, and Humans

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