Architecture and nature have a complicated relationship. If we enjoy framing nature as art in our homes, we try at all costs to avoid the presence of obstructive “real” nature in our walls and structures, which can be damaged by roots and leaves.
Simultaneously, we use green roofs, vertical gardens, and flower boxes to bring cities closer to nature and improve people’s well-being; however, we also build buildings with materials that are completely disconnected from fauna and flora.
Although biomaterials and new technologies are gradually changing this, we should still ask whether the structures and buildings we inhabit need to be separated from the nature that surrounds them.
The team created a method for 3D printing with bio-based materials that incorporates circularity.
Instead of traditional concrete or plastic materials, the raw material used to form walls and structures is soil and local plants mixed with water and inserted into the printer.
By combining the speed, cost efficiency, and low energy demands of additive manufacturing with locally sourced bio-based materials, the process can evolve and create 3D-printed structures that are completely biodegradable, returning to the earth at the end of their useful lives.
Ji Ma, Assistant Professor of Science and Material Engineering at UVA’s School of Engineering and Applied Science; David Carr, Research Professor at UVA’s Department of Environmental Sciences; and Ehsan Baharlou, Assistant Professor at UVA’s School of Architecture, as well as Spencer Barnes, a university student, comprised the team.
Barnes experimented on the best printing mixtures using two methods: printing soil and seeds in sequential layers or mixing seeds with soil before printing. Both approaches were effective.
According to Ji Ma in this University article, “3D-printed soil tends to lose water more quickly and keeps a stronger grip on the water it has.”
“Because 3D printing makes the environment around the plant drier, we have to incorporate plants that like drier climates. The reason we think this is the case is because the soil gets compacted. When the soil is squeezed through the nozzle, air bubbles are pushed out. When the soil loses air bubbles, it holds onto water more tightly.”
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