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Prime Mover
Project details
Programme
Theme
Biosynthesis
Prime Mover: Architectural Actuation Through Designed Responsive and Adaptive Biomaterials
The project defines ‘prime mover’ as the inherent tendency within all life to grow, change, and transform with time.
As the climate crisis urges us to act, we must embrace this philosophy of change and adaptation and incorporate it into the material of our built world.
Our project embeds plant callus and biocompatible materials used in tissue engineering in novel ways, to propose the designed growth of a building. This bio-integration of biological and living components awakens the building from its static slumber, giving it an agency to respond, adapt, and evolve with the challenges ahead.
Group Students
- Erfan Pour Ahmad Year 2
- Tairan (Aurora) Li Year 2
- Ian Robinson Year 2 MArch Bio-ID Prize
01
Section One
Kalanchoe Leaf
A view of kalanchoe leaf cells under the microscope. Cells can be seen interlocked together by their cell walls.
Cultivation from Explant
Kalanchoe explants are plated on a growth media that will induce the formation of callus tissue, a form of undifferentiated plant stem cells.
Plant Callus and Scaffolds
A sample of plant callus cultured within porous hydrogel scaffolds with embedded growth media.
Hydrogel Scaffold
The hydrogel scaffold is connected to components that inject water into the system, allowing for a variation in moisture and stiffness gradients.
Incubator Panel
A view of an incubator panel iteration to house the protective growth and development of plant tissue culture within a building.
02
Section Two
Robotic Fabrication of Hydrogel Scaffolds
Robotic Fabrication of Hydrogel Scaffolds
Different methods tested for the robotic fabrication of hydrogel scaffolds include: (left) woven and weaving techniques (tool to parts); (right) catenary techniques (parts to tool).
Hydrogel Scaffolds
A prototype of a dehydrated robotic woven hydrogel scaffold.
Incubator Design
A design iteration of the incubator assembled on scaffolds. The incubator will allow the fragile plant tissue to develop under optimum environmental conditions before it matures enough to grow in the external environment.
Water and Growth Simulations
Water and Growth Simulations
A simulation of water circulation through scaffolds followed by growth simulation of plant tissue within scaffolds.
Growth on Scaffolds
Water is circulated through a hollow hydrogel scaffold to allow for the delivery of nutrients and the removal of waste. Plant shoots begin to differentiate within the scaffolds.
03
Section Three
Simulation of Floor Sections within Buildings
Simulation of Floor Sections within Buildings
Woven and Textured Hydrogel Scaffolds
A view of the computational design of woven and textured hydrogel scaffolds.
Porous Hydrogel Scaffolds
A view of the computational design of the porous structure of hydrogel scaffolds.
Architectural Application
A view of a future scenario with plant tissue growth developing around a staircase.
Architectural Section
A section of building showing incubator panels for plant tissue growth and the assemblage and integration of hydrogel scaffolds within a building’s infrastructure.
The Bartlett
B-Pro & Autumn Shows 2020
27 November – 11 December 2020
B-Pro & Autumn Shows 2020
Explore