This chapter contribution for open access book "AM Perspectives: Research in Additive Manufacturing for Architecture and Construction" is written with Dr Katia Zolotovsky and co-edited by Bruno Figueiredo. It discusses emergent research in "BIOPRINTED BUILDINGS" and their materiality relating to nature's material growth strategies .
Printing of bio-based architectures has recently gained interest as new tools have been developed that can operate with water-based mixtures, and new blends have been tested from abundant natural materials, waste streams, or translated from fields such as food industry or biomedical research. At the part, object, or sample scale researchers have printed vessels from sawdust, biopolymer leathers from shrimp shells and silk protein, or latticed proto-bricks from eggshell and plant fiber. Structural large-scale 3d-printed material applications have been developed as demonstrators of a bio-based future for the construction industry. They range from grown and bio-bound panels from mycelium, concrete formwork from sawdust, ultra thin sand composite arch and dome systems, modular walls from recycled newspaper, shrimp-based tower skins, free-form cellulose pillars, or soil pods and shells for housing. However, as discussed in this chapter, limitations arise when looking at whole bio-based additively manufactured assemblies or when including living materials within designs.
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