On the occasion of ACADIA 2022 Reception at the ICA, DumoLab Research and crafting plastics! studiopresent a temporary installation that brings together biomaterial-driven and computer-controlled manufacturing of aroma-active lattices.
These lattices stem from our ongoing work on Senseable Biomaterials for Healthier Habitats and set forth the question of building materials being able to passively identify threats in indoor air and correct their toxicity with aroma-active molecule release. Ribbons of lightweight aroma-infused lattices are 3D-printed with two types of bio-based materials – biopolymer blends aiming to replace fossil fuel plastics, and water-based biocom- posites made fromsome of the most abundant biopolymers on Earth. Current characterization and iteration focuses on the aroma infused during fabrication to determine its programmed function to purify air with antimicrobial activity.
SENSBIOM is an interdisciplinary project by architects, designers, material scientists, bioengineers, and olfaction experts asking multiscale questions to be answered by biological materials design:
Could future materials sense and communicate environmental data?
Help detect and correct the presence of toxic volatile compounds?
Perhaps passively modify the scent of air to alleviate stress?
Upcoming Sensbiom v2 uses biology to augment a new series of these bio-fabricated interactive materials with biosensors. We aim to bring a new perspective on programmable matter responding to pressing needs for healthy and environmentally-friendly biomaterial systems in design and architecture.
Location:
Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) Philadelphia PA, October 2022.
Project Team:
Vlasta Kubušová (PhD Candidate, Slovak University of Technology, crafting plastics! studio), Danny Jarabek (Research Assistant, Penn Graduate Architecture), Shivani Chawla (Undergraduate Researcher, Penn Materials Science), Victor Li (Undergraduate Researcher, Penn Architecture), Abby Weinstein (Undergraduate Researcher, Penn Design), Isabelle Lee (Undergraduate Researcher, Penn Architecture and PreMed), Liam Lasting (Research Assistant, Penn Graduate Architecture), Camila Irabien (Undergraduate Researcher, Penn Microbiology), Gabriele Ho (PhD Candidate, Penn Bioengineering).
Faculty:
PI Laia Mogas-Soldevila (Assistant Professor, Director DumoLab Research, Penn Graduate Architecture) Katia Zolotovsky (Rhode Island School of Design), Andreas Mershin (MIT Media Lab).
Acknowledgments:
This work is supported by the University of Pennsylvania Research Foundation, the Slovak Art Council, Fulbright Slovakia, MIT MISTI GSF, DumoLab’s sponsor Canon Virginia, and the Penn Sachs Program for Art Innovation. We are grateful to Zoe Ryan, Director of the ICA, Winka Dubbeldam, Chair of the School of Architecture at Penn, and the ACADIA conference team for their continued support.
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