Catalytic Encounters Project at ACADIA 2020

The Catalytic Encounters project will be presented at ACADIA 2020 (Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture) Distributed Proximities conference. The paper will be presented in the virtual conference on the 26th of October. The abstract is as follows:

This project explores the fabrication process and resulting materialities of bacterial-induced biomineralization, framing living bacteria as co-designers in a construction system. Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICCP) is a biomineralization process where the precipitation of calcium carbonate occurs in response to microbial activity in specific environmental conditions. Initial studies show the complex network of interactions essential in the control of biomineralization in the casting process. In these experiments, we alter the physical and chemical conditions of the bacteria Sporosarcina pasteurii, which affect their growth and mineral precipitation. The process of biomineralization is inherently different from traditional fabrication processes using, for example, casting and moulding. Here, we experiment with the designs of experimental vessels to direct and influence the cementation process. These complex casting vessels facilitate the biomineralization and ensure the survival of the bacteria. The sand-packed volumes are injected with a liquid solution of bacteria first, then injected with a solution of cementation media to initiate the mineralization process. In order to capture the calcification in these experiments, we analyzed their pattern formation using a three-dimensional imaging technique. Using scans to reconstruct the cementation reveals a process of biological computation where the fabrication process shows sensitivities to inputs which lead to different material outputs. These results are not homogenous materials but graded/sculpted volumes that demonstrate the unique complexity of a casting process which involves living systems where each cast is unique and represents a story of the dynamic processes of the casting process. In this formation, we recognize that the control of the designer is only partial and in collaboration with a living organism. It is a choreographed casting process in balancing certain controlling factors to affect and guide the cementation. These experiments offer an exploration into form finding and challenge the idea, in casting, that the material takes the form of the cast.

Authors:
Thora H Arnardottir
Prof. Martyn Dade-Robertson
Dr Helen Mitrani
Dr Meng Zhang
Dr Beate Christgen