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We are delighted to announce that Bio-Integrated Design has been awarded the UCL Sustainability Education Award. 🏆

The award recognises the programme’s ongoing commitment to embedding sustainability within architectural education through interdisciplinary research, experimental practice and the exploration of biological systems, material innovation and regenerative design.

By bringing together architectural design, scientific research and ecological thinking, Bio-ID continues to challenge conventional approaches to the built environment and develop new models for more sustainable and resilient futures.

Congratulations to our founders @algaegrrrl and @marcoscruz_bioid and also to our students, staff, researchers and collaborators whose collective work and dedication continue to drive the programme forward.

#bartlettschoolofarchitecture #uclsustainabilityawards #ucl #sustainability #bioid by @algaegrrrl

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4 days ago

'A robotically extruded sugar waste composite for a circular biomateriality in architecture' published in Structures and Architecture: A Viable Urban Perspective by Jingyuan Meng, D. Alnaeb, Anete Krista Salmane, Pradeep Devadass, M. Cruz, Brenda Parker.

This research presents an integrated workflow for scaling fabrication using Cal-x, a biopolymer composite derived from calcium carbonate waste from sugar refining. Robotic 3D printing enabled customised construction responding to the material’s properties, culminating in a 4 × 2 m prototype exploring the interface between material development, design, and robotic extrusion. The resulting installation, Calcareous Arabesque, exhibited at the Design Museum London, demonstrates a porous architectural wall system and highlights the potential of industrial by-products in circular biomaterial construction.

@bio_id

https://dx.doi.org/10.1201/9781003023555-16

Supported by Peter Scully, Mark Burrows, Vincent Huyghe, Guillem Perutxet Olesti, Melis Van Den Berg, Hamish Veitch, James Lawrence

Sponsor: Tate & Lyle Sugars / John Kerr and Clara Aymerich

Exhibition curators (Waste Age exhibition at the Design Museum): Gemma Curtis, Justin McGuirk

#Robotic3dPrinting #BiopolymerPrinting #ParametricDesign #BioIntegratedDesign #ArchitecturalDesign by @algaegrrrl

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5 months ago

"Automated earth-construction: scale up and potential for soil bioremediation" published in Structures and Architecture – REconsidering the Practice of Building 2025 by Guillem Perutxet Olesti @guillemp, Kenneth Neil Wilson Rozas @kewuki, Laetitia Morlie @laetitiamorlie, Anete Krista Salmane @anete.krista, Pradeep Devadass @pradeep.devadass, Marcos Cruz @marcoscruz_bioid & Brenda Parker @algaegrrrl

This research presents a methodology for automated construction of engineered earth structures in temporary, or "meanwhile," landscapes. A set of small-scale prototypes were created, along with a full-scale demonstrator installed on a meanwhile site and monitored over 12 months (5mx3.5mx1.5 m). Automated earth construction enables the precise design of a landscape’s composition, layout, and structure, which subsequently influences abiotic factors like soil moisture, temperature, and aeration essential for microbial activity. This workflow establishes the basis for a soil-agnostic robotic manufacturing process, enabling the on-site delivery of beneficial microbial consortia to remediate pollution and improve soil health.

Acknowledgements: Fabrication support was provided by Satyam Gyanchandani @satyamgyani, Yifan Shi @yifannnsfilm and supervised by Jingyuan Meng @yao_mjy. The design development was supported by Ayelen Franceschini Couceiro. The compression testing was supervised by Abishera Rajkumar @r.abishera The robotic end-effector was designed and developed by Dianxiong Qu, Chun Liu, and Ella Hetherington @ellahethering This project extends the design development work master's project in Bio-Integrated Design programme, supervised by tutors, Andreas Körner and Kostas Grigoriadis @kostas__gr Partnership with Barking Riverside @barking_riverside Ltd was facilitated by Matthew Sims. Video by Nicholas Bennet @nicholaswb_

Funding: UCL Grand Challenges Research Fund awarded to the Stockpile Garden project in collaboration with Kirsty Badenoch/Periscope Ltd. BP acknowledges additional financial support from the BBSRC Engineering Biology Hub ELEMENTAL BB/Y008456/1.

#Architecture #Design #Robotics #Construction #BioIntegrated #Bioremediation by @algaegrrrl

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5 months ago

Augmented Polycultures 2.0, a continuation of the bioremediation research lead by Dr. Brenda Parker @algaegrrrl and Prof. Marcos Cruz @marcoscruz_bioid, was featured as a work-in-progress in the Building with Blue Biomass network exhibition at Arup’s London headquarters.

This international initiative brings together researchers, designers, and industry partners to explore how marine and aquaculture-based biomass can support circular and regenerative construction. From microalgae to mussels, oysters, seagrass and crustacean by-products, the network investigates how blue biomass could diversify sustainable material streams while respecting planetary boundaries.

The exhibition launch featured short talks and provocations by curator @janewithers.london , Ed Clark (Arup), @pauldotnicholas (CITA), and Prof. @profmarkmaslin, author of “The Human Planet: How we created the Anthropocene”.

Curated by Dr. Brenda Parker and Prof. Marcos Cruz, and organized by Peter Vangsbo, the exhibition highlights a year of collaborative work across environmental, technical, and social dimensions.

The network is supported by @uclbiochemeng, bartlettarchucl, the @bio_id and VaxHub

Partners include the Royal Danish Academy, @3xnarchitects, @dtudk - Technical University of Denmark, @arupgroup, @ucl , @qutrealworld (Queensland University of Technology) and the @uniofqld The University of Queensland.

#biodesign #biointegrateddesign #bioarchitecture #sustainabledesign #sustainability #algae #bluebiomass #circulardesign#regenerativearchitecture taken in Arup London by @algaegrrrl

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8 months ago

This year, Bio ID had the privilege of being part of the Blue Biomass Network. Our directors, @algaegrrrl and @marcoscruz_bioid , had the opportunity to curate the Building with Blue Biomass Network exhibition, organized and hosted at the @arupgroup headquarters in London.

A series of discussions and lectures brought together researchers and practitioners from @citacph , @uclbiochemeng , @thebartlettucl, @uniofqld , @qutrealworld , and @3xnarchitects to investigate how marine and freshwater organisms can inform transformative approaches to architecture and contribute to reducing the environmental footprint of construction. It highlights how architecture can collaborate with the circular blue bioeconomy to develop new, regenerative material flows.

#bioid #biointegrateddesign #biodesign #interdisciplinary #hereeast #postgraduate #masters #architecture #bartlett #ucl #uclbiochemeng #uclbiochemicalengineering #universitycollegelondon #london #CITAResearch #BuildingWithBlueBiomass #RoyalDanishAcademy #kadk #CITA #BioMaterials #CircularDesign #DigitalFabrication #Collaboration #AdaptiveEnvironments #BioPolymers #Innovation #Fabrication #sustainability #Architecture #3dprinting by @algaegrrrl

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9 months ago

We are pleased to announce a new international and interdisciplinary network "Building with Blue Biomass" which will explore the potentials of marine and aquaculture-based biomass. The aim is to help reduce the carbon footprint of buildings and accelerate the building industry's transition towards circular and renewable bio-based materials.

The international network "Building with Blue Biomass" establishes research collaborations between leading experts from Denmark, Australia and the UK.
The network creates a platform to connect local knowledge and share solutions between countries rich in regenerative blue biomass resources and identify future pathways and research to reduce the environmental impact of the building industry. It is led by the Royal Danish Academy - Architecture, Design, Conservation @pauldotnicholas @metteramsgaardt @citacph and includes 3XN/ GXN Architects @3xnarchitects, the Danish Technical University, Arup @arupgroup, University College London @bio_id @uclbiochemeng @bartlettarchucl, Queensland University of Technology and University of Queensland @universityofqueenslandaus . Financial support is provided by the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science.

Image: @prantar.tamuli
CNC roughing of Engineered Living Material made from cyanobacteria. Work by Prantar Tamuli, a doctoral student based in Biochemical Engineering and Bartlett Bio-ID, supervised by Dr Brenda Parker and Prof Marcos Cruz. The intellectual property behind this project has been supported by UCLB for a patent application. taken in London, Unιted Kingdom by @algaegrrrl

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2 years ago

You might be aware that a number of Mission Hubs for Engineering Biology have been launched- lots of UCL success contributing to a range of projects ranging from tackling plastic waste to developing new tools for chloroplast engineering. For those of you keen on #bioremediation you may want to keep tabs on the Engineering biology hub for environmental processing and recovery of metals; from contaminated land to industrial biotechnology in a circular economy (The ELEMENTAL project) - I will be leading one of the work packages on scale up and integrating approaches from @uclbiochemeng and @bio_id to think about how we work in an environmental context.

This mission hub is a huge investment (£14million) and aims to address the growing need for critical minerals, such as cobalt, lithium and indium, in clean energy technologies and to promote a circular economy whereby these earth elements can be recycled.

The hub will be led by Professor Martin Warren (University of Kent), with support from academics including myself (UCL Biochemical Engineering), Professor Julia Stegemann (UCL Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering) and Professor Joanne Santini (UCL Biosciences).

The cross-institutional ELEMENTAL project aims to establish an open knowledge hub that will collaborate with ongoing projects related to mineral extraction, urban mining, industrial waste, and nuclear waste by leveraging engineering biology tools and approaches.
The project will also explore the potential of #phytomining, where certain plants naturally accumulate metals and rare earth elements from the soil. #syntheticbiology #engineeringbiology #bioremediation My nice 📸 is the fine work of @ramshergill taken in UCL Biochemical Engineering by @algaegrrrl

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2 years ago

Myself & Marcos Cruz @marcoscruz_bioid are pleased to announce a new international and interdisciplinary network “Building with Blue Biomass” which will explore the potentials of marine and aquaculture-based biomass. The aim is to help reduce the carbon footprint of buildings and accelerate the building industry’s transition towards circular and renewable bio-based materials.

The international network “Building with Blue Biomass” establishes research collaborations between leading experts from Denmark, Australia and the UK.
The network creates a platform to connect local knowledge and share solutions between countries rich in regenerative blue biomass resources and identify future pathways and research to reduce the environmental impact of the building industry. It is led by the Royal Danish Academy – Architecture, Design, Conservation @pauldotnicholas @metteramsgaardt @citacph and includes 3XN/ GXN Architects @3xnarchitects , the Danish Technical University,, Arup @arupgroup ,University College London @bio_id @uclbiochemeng @bartlettarchucl , Queensland University of Technology and University of Queensland @universityofqueenslandaus . Financial support is provided by the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science.

Combining (all the things we love!) architectural design with biochemical engineering, material development, advanced manufacturing and the bioeconomy, the network will investigate how future building materials can be made from blue biomass. This includes organisms from the sea, lakes, streams and aquaculture facilities such as #algae, #kelp, shellfish and seagrass. There will be a programme of workshops over the next 2 years- keep track and participate by joining the Building with Blue Biomass group over on LinkedIn.

📸: macroalgal biodiversity at Dunbar, Leven and Portaferry. And seaweed-derived hydrogel materials as an immobilisation matrix for INDUS, exhibited @brompton_design_district in 2019
#algae #seaweed #biointegrateddesign #phycology #biodesign #sustainability #bioeconomy taken in UCL by @algaegrrrl

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2 years ago

Marcos Cruz @marcoscruzbioid and I have a new book chapter out as part of BRILL’s series in Critical Plant Studies, with this volume “Being Algae” 🦠edited by Yogi Hale Hendlin, Johanna Weggelaar, Natalia Derossi and Sergio Mugnai - 📗🔗 in my bio.

Our contribution is called “Augmented Polycultures, scaling up Algal Ecosystems and Design of a Biofouling Aesthetic”. It is rowdy little article that was conceived back in 2021, and was an immense amount of fun to write. At that time we wanted to synthesise our responses to some questions that had been bubbling up since we started our work in bio-integrated design @bio_id . Why are we obsessed with a clinical laboratory aesthetic when it comes to algae in architecture? We like the idea of a polyculture, but what’s so terrifying about a gooey biofilm? More importantly, how can we learn to embrace growth, change and decay within design? What would it mean if we set out with this in mind from the beginning, embracing the sublime, as opposed to the energy and resistance required to preserve an artificial state? After a couple of years we can finally share with you – the PDF of the entire book has been made freely available via Creative Commons (hooray for the editors!). Inevitably, the process of exchange between the worlds of applied biology, design and aesthetics has been enormously stimulating, and will surely inform how we approach our next made work and research into bioremediation. #bioremediation #bioid #bioreceptivity #biointegrateddesign #biodesign #biochemicalengineering #biocene #algae #biofilm #microbiome #greeninfrastructure #slime #thesublime #photobioreactor #ecology #biodiversity #aesthetics #symbiosis #heterogeneity #interdisciplinarity taken in UCL by @algaegrrrl

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2 years ago

We’re hiring! Some good news - our team led by UCL and Oxford has been awarded a £12m EPSRC grant to develop sustainable manufacturing platforms for vaccine production. As the Co-Investigator leading the sustainability work packages, I am now recruiting for a team member to work on design interventions that support industrial ecology. Please check out the link in the bio for the full job spec of our Research Assistant position in Sustainable Bioprocess Design. We’re looking for a person who is creative, rigorous, highly interdisciplinary and a 💫 team player to join us on this exciting project. The role will involve working between @uclbiochemeng and @bio_id . Happy to answer any questions here! taken in UCL Biochemical Engineering by @algaegrrrl

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3 years ago

Some of the work in progress by the Thames ….The Garden Anthrome is an anthropogenic biome for soil regeneration. It is designed to enhance biodiversity in environments that have been disturbed by human activity. The impact printed soil structure controls erosion, while encouraging a cover of vegetation to increase microbial activity within the local environment. This intervention fosters the beginnings of an ecological system for a root network that is host to an array of organisms which can degrade or sequester pollutants. The anthromes are part of a longer body of work to test how emerging innovations in bio-integrated design @bio_id for bioremediation can restore soil health and promote the re-establishment of native plant communities. This installation was initiated through a @ucl Grand Challenges grant with @kirstybadenoch which supported the “Stockpile Garden” project to investigate the human and ecological health benefits of remediating meanwhile sites, and the significance of ‘temporary’ landscapes as a largely unaddressed contributor to urban green infrastructural fabric. Disembark the Thames Clipper and walk along the foreshore to view the site as it evolves.
Team: Brenda Parker and Marcos Cruz @marcoscruzbioid. Impact printing: Pradeep Devadass, Kenneth Wilson Rozas @kewuki. Collaboration (design): Ayelen Franceschini @achu.fran. UCL B-Made support: Peter Scully, Guillem Perutxet Olesti @guillemp ;Yao Yao Meng @yao_mjy . Impact printing support: Satyam Gyanchandani, Yifan Shi. Project Partners: Kirsty Badenoch @kirstybadenoch (UCL @bartlettarchucl /Periscope Ltd @periscope_uk), Barking Riverside Ltd
@barking_riverside Sponsorship: UCL Grand Challenges, AHRC Impact Accelerator Award, WCMT Activate Award #bioremediation #biocene #biointegrateddesign #biodesign #brownfield #ecology #landscape #biochemicalengineering #additivemanufacturing #robotics #futureobservatory taken in Barking Riverside by @algaegrrrl

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3 years ago

The Garden Anthrome is an anthropogenic biome for soil regeneration. It is designed to enhance biodiversity in environments that have been disturbed by human activity. The impact printed soil structure controls erosion, while encouraging a cover of vegetation which provides a conducive ecological system for a root network that is host to an array of microbial life. The site-based research project at Barking Riverside in London applies emerging innovations in bio-integrated design @bio_id for bioremediation to restore soil health and promote the re-establishment of native plant communities. The @ucl Grand Challenges Stockpile Garden project investigates the human and ecological health benefits of remediating meanwhile sites, and the significance of ‘temporary’ landscapes as a largely unaddressed contributor to urban green infrastructural fabric. Disembark the Thames Clipper and walk along the foreshore to view the site as it evolves.
Team: Brenda Parker and Marcos Cruz @marcoscruzbioid . Impact printing: Pradeep Devadass, Kenneth Wilson @kewuki . Collaboration (design): Ayelen Franceschini @achu.fran. UCL B-Made support: Peter Scully, Guillem Perutxet Olesti @guillemp , Yao Yao Meng @yao_mjy ;Impact printing support: Satyam Gyanchandani, Yifan Shi. Project Partners: Kirsty Badenoch @kirstybadenoch (@bartlettarchucl /Periscope Ltd @periscope_uk), Barking Riverside Ltd
@barking_riverside Sponsorship: UCL Grand Challenges, AHRC Impact Accelerator Award, WCMT Activate Award #futureobservatory #brownfield #bioremediation #biointegrateddesign #ecology taken in Barking Riverside by @algaegrrrl

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3 years ago