IN-PERSON Barcelona. Section A
Abstract
Modern building practices contribute to nearly half of global greenhouse gas emissions. Fundamental flaws lie in energy intensive extraction and synthesis, transportation of non-local resources, and a lack of design for disassembly, reuse, and decay for materials such as glass, steel, and cement. The regenerative architecture work presented here contributes to alleviating that by implementing bio-inspired and bio-based material systems in structures with optimized form and nourishing decay. The structures Terrene, CanoPIT, and Ramus explore the enhancement of pervasive raw resources – such as dry soil and gravel, unavoidable food waste, and forestry byproducts – with bio-binders from the most abundant biopolymers on Earth; cellulose, chitin and algae gums. Resulting augmented bio-composites perform closely to their synthetic counterparts in compression and bending, and depict lightweight arches, seasonal canopies, and indoor partitions able to provide new exciting function and aesthetics, as well as naturally biodegrade without toxicity to humans and the planet.
Laia Mogas-Soldevila is an Assistant Professor of Graduate Architecture and Director of DumoLab Research at the Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania. Laia’s research focuses on hyper-sustainable material practices bridging science, engineering, and the arts. Her pedagogy supports novel theory and applied methods understanding biomaterials and bio-based fabrication in product design and architecture. She has built scholarship over the past ten years reconsidering matter as a fundamental design driver and partnering with scientists to redesign it towards regenerative futures.
3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Monday 15th July, 2024