Symbiosis
Location: Barcelona - Spain
Year: 2023
Type of Collaboration: Design, Computational Design, 3D Printing, Diagrams, Renders
Type of Project: Multi-Material Printing, Green Facades, Biomaterial Proxy
The utilization of robotics in additive manufacturing is increasingly standardized as the demands for more efficient, environmentally friendly construction grow. Robotics offer precise material extrusion, minimizing waste and enabling the production of complex structures with high accuracy. Multi-material 3D printing is a promising strategy, significantly reducing processing time and allowing for mass customization. In a workshop on multi-material 3D printing with ABB robots, we explored using dual extrusion with clay infused with chia seeds and mycelium to create sustainable structural systems. This innovative approach could revolutionize urban agriculture, with the potential for complex vertical farming walls that reduce carbon emissions and integrate food production into urban living. Research into this technology revealed the necessity of complex geometries for optimal mycelium growth and the importance of solar radiation for chia seed cultivation. For this exercise regions with more sun exposure were used as a proxy to populate the red clay+chia material proxy and the areas with less sun exposure to be populated with white clay + mycelium. This combination is due to the requirements for chia to grow and at the same time valley areas to reinforce the brick for mycelium to enhance the structure.
Year: 2023
Type of Collaboration: Design, Computational Design, 3D Printing, Diagrams, Renders
Type of Project: Multi-Material Printing, Green Facades, Biomaterial Proxy
The utilization of robotics in additive manufacturing is increasingly standardized as the demands for more efficient, environmentally friendly construction grow. Robotics offer precise material extrusion, minimizing waste and enabling the production of complex structures with high accuracy. Multi-material 3D printing is a promising strategy, significantly reducing processing time and allowing for mass customization. In a workshop on multi-material 3D printing with ABB robots, we explored using dual extrusion with clay infused with chia seeds and mycelium to create sustainable structural systems. This innovative approach could revolutionize urban agriculture, with the potential for complex vertical farming walls that reduce carbon emissions and integrate food production into urban living. Research into this technology revealed the necessity of complex geometries for optimal mycelium growth and the importance of solar radiation for chia seed cultivation. For this exercise regions with more sun exposure were used as a proxy to populate the red clay+chia material proxy and the areas with less sun exposure to be populated with white clay + mycelium. This combination is due to the requirements for chia to grow and at the same time valley areas to reinforce the brick for mycelium to enhance the structure.
© Maria Luiza Torres, 2023.