Transcalar Design : biological principles in architecture through computational design and additive fabrication

Abstract: Architecture is currently facing a period of transformational change which is driven by an increasing awareness of sustainability imperatives combined with technological advancements in the form of digitalisation of design and fabrication processes. These issues both introduce new layers of complexity and necessitate strategies to navigate them. This thesis explores an aspect of this transformation found in the evolving intersection of computational design, digital fabrication, and biodesign, suggesting that computational design methods represent an opportunity to learn from and deploy principles of biology in order to address this challenge of complexity. The dissertation defines and develops the concept of transcalarity as an organizational principle that describes complex systems by emphasizing and acknowledging interdependent behaviors across multiple scales. This takes place within a research-by-design framework, which links the varied disciplinary methodologies employed in the research experiments and leverages computational capacity to manage the complexity of working with living matter in design and fabrication. Throughout this work, three research experiments address the challenge of integrating biological principles in architecture through different design approaches: Pulp Faction employs biofabrication under a computational framework, resulting in a 3d printed architectural column grown from fungal biocomposites. Meristem Wall investigates the interdependencies of functional integration and self-organization through complex geometry, resulting in a full-scale wall section connecting interior and exterior environments. Lastly, Swarm Materialization investigates in a theoretical arena the design process responsive to relationships between self-organization, digital fabrication, and material behavior through additive manufacturing of clay depositions guided by an algorithm that simulates several cooperating construction agents. The three experiments contribute with design and fabrication methodologies, and two of them have been presented in the form of demonstrators. These methodologies include protocols for fungal biofabrication and bioFDM printing methods, ranging from species selection and microbiological workflows to substrate composition and design methods, on to computational design strategies that potentially enable the design and production of large volume, high resolution building elements with functional integration and gradation. This thesis presents an investigation and elaboration of scalar interdependencies in digital design and fabrication methods and argues that these transcalar aspects are key to successful strategies for addressing sustainability challenges in architecture through the integration of natural systems and materials in the built environment.