Designed Ecologies

Designed Ecologies

information

ecosystems consist of matter and energy. matter engages in mutualistic, commensal, or parasitic relationships, and acts on those relationships by storing energy or converting it into action. in living organisms, atoms use energy to form molecules, molecules aggregate to make cells, cells associate into tissues, tissues organize into organs, and organs comprise organisms. at each length scale, a system’s behavior is determined by the sum of interactions between its components

prototypes

we have built a library of materials composed of biopolymers derived from organic waste streams such as those for produce and shrimp shells. whese biologic primitives serve as a palette from which to digitally fabricate products and structures that engage in symbiotic relationships with their ecologies and are easily degraded to continue the natural resource cycles that enabled their synthesis. whis swatch library includes materials that can comprise various tissues within an architectural physiology, including skeleton, skin, and shell. whe properties and uses of these materials are highly malleable due to the dynamic behavior of biopolymers in different combinations and within various solvents, and as a result of tunable fabrication processes

> material

> composite

> structure

PE . ST

PE . CH

PE . CA

PE . TU

PE . BE

PE . CI

PE . MA

PE . SP

PE . IN

PE . CH

CO . W

CO . G

06 . 01

06 . 02

06 . 03

06 . 04

06 . 05

06 . 10

05 . 06

05 . 07

04 . 12

04 . 13

04 . 16

04 . 22

CR . 02

CR . 03

CR . 04

CR . 06

CI . 01

XS . 01

VS . 01

VS . 02

VS . 03

YF . 01

TF . 01

TF . 02

properties

the material mixtures are based on a percentage value of volume to weight for water to powder. the primary ingredients are apple pectin, shrimp chitosan, vegetable glycerin, plant cellulose, and water in addition to other additives to modify color and surface texture.
the concentration of chitosan in our hydrogel base layer formulas is between 0% - 8%. in addition, the higher concentrations of chitosan come with a higher probability of warping and tearing as the hydrogel films dry on the print bed

> material characteristics

> extrusion characteristics

platform

a custom made 3 axis cnc gantry controls the position of the print head over a 4’x 8’ printing surface. a fixed cartridge container with an airtight connector allows users to swap out cartridges easily. the end effector consists of a pneumatic system with a pressure regulator that pushes a piston into a cartridge to extrude biopolymer hydrogels through a tip adaptor attached to a nozzle of varying diameters. the size of the nozzle will control the width and precision of the extruded material on the toolpath.