Prototypes

The OME will be where HBBE researchers come together to collaborate, test and demonstrate their technologies at building scale and it will provide a space to engage with external partners and the public to shape our future research. The OME is now complete and we are looking forward to bringing the building to life with a diverse range of large scale experimental prototypes which address the key HBBE research themes - biomaterials for living construction, understanding & modulating the internal microbiome, and processing domestic waste to create valuable products. We will explore the interactions between these technologies to begin to understand how to create self-sustaining, regenerative, living buildings which benefit human and ecological health and wellbeing.

 
 

Bacterial Cellulose

This prototype-led project explores the evolution and testing of Bacterial Cellulose as a façade material for the built environment. Bacterial Cellulose is highly hydrophilic, absorbing approximately 98% of its weight in water. This property presents both huge challenges and opportunities in the context of facade design for habitable buildings..


 

Bio-Cellular Prototype

This project develops and tests bioreceptive concrete panels for the façade. This work builds on previous research which developed a bio-receptive concrete panel made from 90% waste, where the growth media and concrete properties were optimised to sustain growth on its surface. Both the form and the makeup of the panels were designed to attenuate water infiltration. The use of waste materials, in addition to the increased surface area created a viable environment for plant life and consequently, we hypothesis, microbial life.
 

BioKnit

Research undertaken by our group is focused on the biocompatibility of knitted fabrics as a scaffold for growth, highlighting the potential to tune material properties and create complex forms using textile fibres, yarns, and fabrics as a hierarchical structuring system.
 

BioMateriOME

In a world still reeling from a global viral pandemic, what do we really know about the microbes that share our indoor spaces and proliferate on household surfaces? We aim to shed light on the invisible microbial world inhabiting common indoor surface materials (e.g., wood, glass, plastic), as well as innovative construction materials; including biocomposites (bioplastics, biomaterials), textiles (3D-knit, new yarns) and bio-fabricated materials (mycelium, bacterial cellulose).
 

Energising Waste

Renewable resources are a good source of sustainable energy, however renewable resource storage is facing significant challenges. Efficient and reliable energy access is imperative for meeting demand and supply, and while current electricity storage methods are technically successful, the challenge of their techno-economic feasibility remains. We propose two methodologies for on-demand electricity generation, creating a circular system that manages organic waste at the domestic scale in the OME.
 

Healing Masonry

The Healing Masonry prototypes develop enhanced biotechnological systems which express natural weathering and self-healing, i.e., the ability of the materials to heal themselves, while embracing imperfection and unique history of matter. Heritage conservation measures usually require processes that would restore performance in the least invasive way. However, not all traditional repair methods disguise damage and repair.