Thora H Arnardottir

Senior Research Associate

Thora H Arnardottir is a postdoctoral researcher in Living Construction at Northumbria University working on Living Material Fabrication and Design. She earned her PhD from Newcastle University’s School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape. Her thesis, titled "Bacterial Sculpting: A Processual Approach to Forming with Unruly Matter," explored laboratory experiments on microbially-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICCP). This research challenged conventional perspectives by suggesting a radical departure from anthropocentric views. It proposed a world where building materials are not merely inert objects shaped by human design but are active, living co-creators in the formation of structures. Additionally, she was a design-led researcher on the Thinking Soils project and a Research Associate on the Living Manufacture project.

Thora H Arnardottir has experience in Architectural Design and Microbiology and is a practicing designer specialising in living materials and bio-fabrication. With expertise in bacterial biomineralization, her research addresses the possibilities of integrating biological systems in the built environment and aims at combining biotic agency with design concepts and innovative crafting techniques. 

She co-runs a collective called BioBabes an experimental research group that works in the in-between spaces of design, science, and biology and focuses on the exploration of biomaterials and design through interactive devices.

www.thoraha.com

Current Projects

BIOARC is a EU funded Horizon project which aims to develop bio-based construction materials from agricultural by-products using bacteria-driven biomineralisation. The project produces lightweight, fire-resistant products—such as insulation and wall panels—using crops like rice, wheat, sunflower, and hops. Through standardised production and rigorous testing, BIOARC ensures material quality and performance. Its bioregional approach builds local value chains with community input, lowering emissions and fostering circular practices. By aligning with the New European Bauhaus, it promotes regenerative, scalable, and culturally rooted solutions for sustainable construction.
This EPSRC funded project aims to manipulate bacterial cellulose material during growth by integrate genetically engineered microbes and the design and building of a novel bioreactor as a part of a new type of 3D printer. The project will establish the principles of a new industrial fabrication system based on controlled biological production of biopolymers through growth. This new biofabrication system will have potential applications in a wide range of areas, including biomedical applications, complex composites for high-performance manufacturing and novel consumer products.