BioMud Fabric
Guiding Questions
What does it mean to make soil flexible? What does it mean to transform soil into a flexible form using bio-based plastics? What does “BioEarth Fabric” signify for the future possibilites of textiles?
Reflections
The Natural Materials Lab catalyzes digital explorations of natural and living materials such as clay-rich mass, biological fiber-based insulation, as well as fungi-based blocks and tiles. Our research stream, BioEarth Fabric, explores the possibility of transforming soils into flexible and dynamic textiles. To this aim, we have developed a novel technology, developing a flexible and biodegradable fabric made of over 65% of soil.
Our aim is to assess these material assemblages in terms of their environmental, thermal, and structural properties that could lead to their sustainable justification in a growing architectural contemporary. This line of research provides for the involvement of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, to employ integrative methodology and be introduced to mixed methods research assimilating building science-related inquiries with environmental footprint, design process and site-specific inquiry.
Collaborations
Lola Ben-Alon, Natural Materials Lab
Photography: Emine Taha