BIOLUMINESCENT MATERIALS
Bioluminescent materials use living organisms, such as worms and tobacco plants, that glow or emit light to provide light in conditions where electricity would normally be used. These living materials could be used to light cinema and computer screens, stock tickers and scoreboards, as well as rooms and cityscapes.
In a studio project at Bartlett, Octave Augustin Marie Perrault illustrated the idea of a “bioluminescent bacterial billboard.” He writes, “A bioluminescent bacterial billboard glows across the harbour… We are constantly reminded of the condition of the surrounding environment as the bio indicators becomes an expressive occupiable ecology.”
ARCHITECTURE COMES ALIVE
Neo-Plasmatic Design takes it inspiration from science-fiction, employing semi-living materials or entities to explore the impact of emerging and progressive biological advances upon architectural and design practice. As such, architecture is no longer confined to conventional dead matter (timber, concrete, steel, etc.)Neo-Plasmatic design manipulates actual biological material and takes a multi-disciplinary approach, combing architecture with biology, microbiology, biotechnology, medicine and surgery.
Figures like Marcos Cruz and Rachel Armstrong, both at Bartlett, are researching metabolic materials to develop more dynamic and environmentally-integrated materials. This would confer properties of living systems on buildings and cities, enabling architecture to change over time using local sources of energy and raw materials and respond to variations in the urban environment.
INTERACTIVE MATERIALS
Rachel Wingfield and Loop Ph have created smart materials that respond to biological presences, providing an interactive experience between human and materials. “Inverted Shadow” is a proposal for a tiling system to illuminate public spaces. Each tile forms a pixel that responds to a moving shadow being cast upon it, mapping a physical pathway with an inverted, illuminating shadow. Light trails linger as you move through space providing localized and personal illumination.
Sound reactive wallpaper takes a traditional textile heritage and brings it to life as it reacts to ambient noise levels. The louder the space the brighter the wallpaper glows. It explores the experience of human presence and action having a tangible effect on space.
ALGAETECTURE
Algaetecture employs principles of microbiology to harvest hyrdrogen from algae and provide energy efficient living. Algae produces hydrogen more efficiently than any other process, allowing it to operate as a renewable source of biomass and sustainable energy.
The PhotoBioReactor sculpture by Charles Lee is part renewable fuel factory and part bio-remediation plant. The design brings artistic, yet functional, forms into the landscape to inspire the imagination. Students at Cambridge University created “Algae House” based on the principle that hydrogen produced from a 75m2 algae pond could produce more than 4000KW/h of sustainable energy, and this in turn, could be converted into electricity.
SELF-HEALING CONCRETE
What if concrete, the world’s most used construction material, could detect cracking and heal itself? There would not only be significant cost savings, but there would be an environmental benefit as well; concrete production accounts for 10 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. Researchers are taking biologically-based approaches to create concrete that heals itself using bacteria to fill holes.
At Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, bacteria are being used to produce limestone (calcium carbonate) and fill cracks. If a crack occurs and water and oxygen enter the concrete, then the bacteria can produce limestone.
HANDS-OFF ARCHITECTURE
While bacteria can now be used to produce smart materials, they can also be used on a large scale to create entire landscapes and topologies. In addition to being inexpensive to produce and able to facilitate large-scale growth, bacteria also produce great structural strength.
Magnus Larsson’s Dune project explores the large-scale deployment of bacteria to combat the progressive desertification of Nigeria by growing a 6,000km wall using the bacterium, bacillus pasteurii, a microorganism readily available in marshes and wetlands, which rapidly binds loose sand into firm sandstone structures. Larsson’s significant re-imagining of architectural construction methods using a renewable approach to a longstanding problem depicts how the practice of the built environment may approach sustainable practices in new ways.
DEBAT: GRØN PRODUKTION
Djævelens advokat har ordet
Når man snakker om biomaterialer er man nødt til at tage højde for produktionen af disse. Produktionen af et bæredygtigt materiale er lige så vigtig som selve produktet. Er der affaldsprodukter gennem produktionen? Er energiforbruget markant højere end ved produktionen af et traditionelt materiale? Er energiforbruget ved distributionen højere? Kan det overhovedet betale sig at producere grønt? Og hvis ja - på hvilken måde er det så bedst?
At være grøn, miljøbevidst, CO2-neutral osv. er en ny megatrend. En god historie sælger og vi køber gerne aflad. Eksempelvis skal vi skære ned på vores CO2 forbrug, og derfor bliver vi opfordret til at købe hybridbiler. Men den strøm hybridbilen bruger kommer hovedsageligt fra kulkraftværker, og at producere batteriet er ekstremt energitungt og udleder derfor en masse CO2. Spørgsmålet er derfor, om Toyota Priussen er lavet for at gøre verden til et bedre sted, eller om de gør det for at sælge flere biler, og altså bruger det “grønne“ som et buzz-word uden reelt indhold.
Denne problematik gør sig også gældende på markedet for biomaterialer. For eksempel findes der indenfor isolering flere hundredevis af patenterede grønne materialer. Hvordan skal vi som arkitekter kunne gennemskue, hvad der er reelle grønne produkter og hvad der er markedsføringsbullshit.
Vi har jo ikke den nødvendige viden indenfor kemi, biologi etc. til at vide, hvad de miljømæssige omkostninger er i en produktion. Måske ligger problemet i, at vi, i vores videnskabelige nuværende paradigme er vant til at se ting som isolerede størrelser; altså at være grøn vil sige, at bruge dette eller hint materiale.
I virkeligheden skal vi lære at tænke holistisk, lære at se, at alting hænger sammen. At vi ikke nødvendigvis kan have god samvittighed fordi vi køber FairTrade. Set fra denne vinkel lyder biomaterialer som en virkelig god ide uden indhold.
SMARTE MATERIALER SKRUER OP FOR VARMEN
Med ny forskning kan man nu arbejde med materialer, der reagerer dynamisk på ydre forhold.
Afhængig af temperaturen kan materialerne fx udvide og trække sig sammen via formskift i strukturen og dermed afgive varme. På den måde kan indendørs temperaturen reguleres, hvis materialet fx bliver brugt som del af en klimaskærm.
Eksempler på dette er forskellige typer af plastic, men også en aluminiumshud med disse egenskaber er under udvikling. De sensitive materialer har en længere levetid og et mere effektivt energiforbrug og bliver spået en stor fremtid.
SMART MATERIALS TURN UP THE HEAT
New research makes it possible to work with materials that react dynamically to exterior conditions.
The materials expand, contract and release heat in response to the temperature. If the material is used as part of the building envelope, the temperature inside can be regulated.
Examples include different types of plastics, as well as a kind of aluminum skin, which is being developed. These sensitive materials have long lives, are more energy efficient, and they are predicted to have a great future.
PLASTMATERIALE LAVET AF MAJS
Majsplast (PLA) er baseret på mælkesyre, der fremstilles ved gæring af majsstivelse, kan indgå i en lang række produkter som f.eks. engangskrus, poser, kreditkort osv. Majsplast kan erstatte brugen af det giftige PET og PVC, og det er konkurrencedygtigt med andre materialer på både pris og egenskaber.
Nedbrydningen af PLA sker i et industrielt komposteringsanlæg, hvor det opbevares ved høj luftfugtighed i 45-60 dage. Den tilbageblivende mælkesyre opløses af mikroorganismer, som nedbrydes til vand og kuldioxid. Kuldioxiden er som bekendt miljøskadeligt, men ved PLA genereres der 68% færre drivhusgasser end ved alm. plast.
PLASTICS MADE FROM CORN
Corn Plastic (PLA) is composed by lactic acid (fermentation from corn starch) and can be used in a wide range of products, such as disposable mugs, bags, and credit cards. Corn plastic can replace the use of toxic PET and PVC, and it is competitive with other materials in both price and features.
The dissolving of PLA occurs in industrial compost facilities where it is stored at high humidity for 45-60 days. The remaining lactic acid dissolves by micro-organisms and decomposes into water and carbon dioxide. While carbon dioxide is known for damaging the environment, PLA generates 68% fewer greenhouse gases than normal plastic.
SVAMPE SOM ISOLERING
Svampe i veggene er ikke længre dårligt
Det unge makkerpar Bayer (21år) og McIntyre (22år) er i færd med at udvikle en ny form for isolering. Tag lidt vand, mel, nogle østersvampespore, et gødningsmineral og du har produktet “Greensulate”, et organiskt, brandsikkert isoleringsmateriale, 100% afsæt i en oranisk process.
Bayer & McIntyre (Ecovative Design) arbejder på at producere større eksempler af “Greensulate” så det rent faktiskt vil kunne bruges som isolering af bygninger men siger at at de ikke vil sætte det på markedet før de har et robust og modent produkt.
INSULATING MUSHROOM
Mushroom in the wall - not a bad thing
Young partners Bayer and McIntyre (Ecovative Design) are in the process of developing a new form of insulation. Mix water, flour and oyster mushroom, a mineral fertilizer and you will have the product “Greensulate”, an organic, fire resistant insulating material, composed by an entirely organic process.
They are working to produce more copies of Greensulate so it will actually be used as insulation for buildings, but they will not put it on the market before they have a robust and mature product.
CELLUPRESS
10 års forskning har ført til det bæredygtige materiale Cellupress der hovedsageligt er baseret på plantefibre. Nøjagtigt som plastik kan Cellupress formes tredimensionelt, hvilke giver stor fleksibilitet ved formgivning. Cellupress består af træ og et tilsat kunstigt materiale der kan varieres afhængig af hvilken struktur og udtryk der ønskes i det færdige produkt.
I forbindelse med udviklingen af Cellupress er stolen Imprint blevet fremstillet. Stolen er designet af Johannes Foersom og Peter Hiort-Lorentzen, og det anvendte materiale består af 95 % træfibre og 5 % Polyethylen fra genbrugte japanske colaflasker.
CELLUPRESS
10 years of research have led to the sustainable material Cellupress, mainly composed of plant fibers. Cellupress can, exactly like plastic, shape three-dimensionally which allows for greater flexibility in design. Cellupress consists of wood plus an artificial material that can vary depending on what kind of structure and expression is desired in the finished product.
During development of Cellupress, the chair “Imprint” was manufactured. The chair is designed by John Foersom and Peter Hiort-Lorentzen, and the material used consists of 95% wood and 5% polyethylene from recycled Japanese coca cola bottles.
URIN + OLIE = GUMMI
Fransk forskerhold har udviklet et selvhelende gummi.
Forskerhold ESPCI har udviklet en ny form for gummi. Det endnu unavngivne materiale er lavet af vegetabilske olier og stoffer fra urin.
Molekylerne i gummiet er bundet sammen på en anden måde end normalt - som en masse små hænder der når de slipper hinanden genfinder grebet.
Dr. Liebler der er leder af ESPCI forestiller sig gummiet brugt i f.eks. pakninger og legetøj, men mulighederne er uendelige.
RUBBER TAKES ON NEW LIFE
French researchers have developed new self-healing rubber.
The French research team ESPCi has developed a new kind of rubber. The still un-named material is made of vegetable oil and components of urine.
The molecules of the rubber bond together so that it can self-repair. Like billion of tiny hands re-finding their grips when parted.
Dr. Liebler, head of the team, sees the use of the rubber in for example seals or toys, but the possibilities are endless.
HOLLANDSKE BIOKOMPOSITTER
Er dette materiale det nye sort?
Denne biokomposit er et 100% naturligt blandingsmateriale af cellulosefibre og bioplastik. Det er bionedbrydeligt og kan genanvendes. Et materiale der kan erstatte træ-, metal- og plastplader, og kan bruges udendørs.
Det er lettere end aluminium, billigere end glasfiberplader og 3 gange så stærkt som hårdt træ.
Det kan formbøjes ved høj varme og bearbejdes med almindeligt værktøj som sav og boremaskine.
Materialet har åbentlyst mange kvaliteter og vi må vente og se om det kommer til at være en del af fremtidens byggeri.
Materialet Biopregs er udviklet af det hollandske firma Kiem. Se mere på materia.nl
DUTCH BIOCOMPOSITES
Is this material the new black?
This biokomposit is a 100% biodegradable blend of cellulose fiber materials and bioplastic. The material can replace wood, metal and plastic plates, and can be used outdoors. It is lighter than aluminum, cheaper than glass fiber and 3 times as strong as hard wood. It can be molded at high heat and used with ordinary tools like saws and drills.
The material has many qualities and we must wait to see if it is going to be a part of future construction.
Biopregs material developed by the Dutch firm Kiem. See more at materia.nl
NY BETON INDFANGER CO2
En ny måde at fremstille beton på bidrager samtidig til at reducere mængden af CO2 i atmosfæren og dermed udledningen af de samlede drivhusgasser.
Betonbestanddelen cement fremstilles ved at opvarme kalksten ved brug af fossilt brændstof og ifølge U.S. Environmental Protection Agency er hidtidig betonfremstilling den tredje største CO2 synder i USA.
Hvor der førhen blev produceret et ton CO2 ved produktionen af et ton beton, absorberes der ved denne fremstillingsform et halvt.
NEW CONCRETE SEQUESTRATES CO2
new way of producing concrete contributes reducing the amount of the greenhouse gas CO2 in the atmosphere.
Concrete is made of rock and cement, the latter obtained by removing the CO2 from limestone by heating it by burning fossil fuels.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this process is the third largest source of greenhouse gas pollution in the U.S.
Making one ton of cement results in the emission of roughly one ton of CO2, but with this new technique, half a ton of CO2 is sequestrated.