Eggregate introduces a bio-based composite derived from unavoidable food waste, including eggshells, fruit peels, and agricultural byproducts, processed into moldable and extrudable blends. Raw Eggregate cures under ambient conditions while achieving structural integrity, biodegradability, and functional performance. The research integrates material science, computational geometry, and additive manufacturing to fabricate a cladding system prototype.
Mechanical and environmental assessments verified the composite’s multi-functionality, demonstrating fire resistance through controlled surface charring, thermal insulation via heat transmittance testing, UV sensing through geometry and micro-texture optimization, bio-receptivity for ecological integration, and pH-responsive soil toxicity detection using natural colorimetric indicators. By coupling waste valorization with multifunctional design, Eggregate advances research in sustainable bio-composites, distributed sensing, and adaptive building envelopes. This work highlights the potential of ambient-cured, waste-derived composites as scalable alternatives to energy-intensive ceramics in architectural applications.
Eggregate multifunctional biocomposite cladding system was presented at ACSA 2026 in Chicago last month by our senior researcher Yasaman Amirzehni.
Full article on ACSA'26 Proceedings coming soon!
Team: Yasaman Amirzehni, Bhavana Priya Balasubramanian, Abby Weinstein, and Dr Laia Mogas-Soldevila. Support: In-kind biomass waste from Penn Dining and Penn Farm.
ACSA Publication Pre-print:LINK - Amirzehni, Yasaman, Bhavana Priya Balasubramanian, Abigail Weinstein, and Laia Mogas-Soldevila. 2026. “Eggregate: Architectural Resilience by Material-Informed Design and Fabrication of Food Waste Bio-Composites.” ACSA 114th Annual Meeting: Convergence/Divergence (Chicago IL).
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