When technology and biology create new solutions
(Paula Nerlich's CIRCULAR HOME project)
In the previous post, the main topic was biomimetics, the reuse of biological strategies for the design of optimal solutions in technology and design. Yet, nature can prove an infinite resource of inspiration and material for design processes also beyond that. Biological systems can not also become an active constituent of a process or a product, making their unique and extraordinary characteristics at disposal of human design and technological implementations.
Biodesign refers to the usage and inclusion of biological systems as essential components in products, to improve the overall functionality of a solution. The boundaries between technology and biology disappear, leaving room for their integration and synthesis, and the creation of new hybrid objects, and architecture.
An example of this is living root bridges, architectural solutions very common in the southern part of the Northeast Indian state of Meghalaya.
(The living root bridge - wikipedia commons)
A living root bridge is formed by positioning the flexible roots of the Ficus elastica tree across a stream or river and then letting the roots grow and build a robust structure over time until they can eventually hold the weight of a human being. This can be achieved by hand, or with the help of structural scaffolds for orienting the roots’ growth.
Self-healing bio-concrete was the invention of the Dutch microbiologist Hendrik Jonkers, who is developing a bionic approach that improves the tensile strength and eco-friendly properties of concrete. His approach can heal cracks in the concrete, thanks to the presence of specific bacterial species that can produce limestone on a biological basis. To do so, the bacteria consume oxygen, which in turn prevents the internal corrosion of reinforced concrete. Bacteria are incorporated during the production process, and they can remain dormant in the concrete for up to 200 years. They get in contact with nutrients only if water penetrates a crack, that is, they activate their healing power only when structural damage occurs.
(Mechanism of self healing - wikipedia commons)
Another application domain for biodesign is the creation of fine art and fashion products, where artists can generate works that incorporate living matter.
The British designer Suzanne Lee coined the term biocouture in the early 2000s when she began presenting her processes to fabricate clothing with biofabrication processes employing yeast, bacteria, tea, and sugar. Today, as the founder and CEO of Biofabricate, she works for collaboration in design and biology to grow the future of sustainable materials.
Denim jacket by Laura Artigas - Biocouture
Roberta Bardini is a researcher in computational Biology and systems. She currently works at the Sysbio Group, Polytechnic of Turin, where she obtained her PhD. She deals with the development of multicellular organisms, and their enhancement in the business environment.