Biologically grown masonry
The standard architectural material palette consists of many energy-intensive materials, such as brick masonry and concrete. In contrast, nature exhibits notable strategies for creating high-strength materials via biochemical processes that require little energy. North Carolina–based bioMason has developed a technology based on such an approach, employing bacteria to produce bricks out of sand or other types of aggregate. Similar in composition to sandstone, the resulting BioBricks are manufactured by Sporosarcina pasteurii bacteria with the addition of calcium chloride, urea, and yeast extract. These materials are inexpensive, widely available, and ecologically responsible, and they enable the fabrication of bio-based building modules in under five days.
Contact: bioMASON, Durham, NC, USA.
For more information, see Transmaterial Next: A Catalog of Materials that Redefine Our Future
