Left, the Aguahoja wall experiments
demonstrate the range of behaviours
within medium-to-large-scale prints
informed by the geometrical
distribution of the bio-composites
as well as the variation in
fabrication parametersSYNOPSISDerived from organic matter, printed
by a robot and shaped by water,
Aguahoja points towards a future
where the grown and the made unite.
The collection of natural artifacts
i s f a b r i c a t e d f r o m t h e m o l e c u l a r
c o m p o n e n t s f o u n d i n t r e e b r a n c h e s,
insect exoskeletons and human
bones. Our novel, water-based design
approach and fabrication platform
enables tight integration between
material synthesis, digital
fabrication, and physical behaviour,
at scales that approach those of
natural ecologies.DESCRIPTIONAguahoja embodies the Material
E c o l o g y d e s i g n a p p r o a c h t o m a t e r i a l
formation and decay by design.
Fuelled by water with unparalleled
efficiency, Nature’s cycle of
birth, adaptation and decay allows
ecosystems to use materials in
perpetuity. In contrast to our built
environment, filled with artificial
objects with limited functions,
waste is virtually non-existent in
old growth forests and coral reefs.Reproducing Nature’s material
intelligence, the Aguahoja project
uses the most abundant materials
on our planet – cellulose, chitosan
and pectin. These are digitally
fabricated to create biodegradable
composites with functional,
mechanical and optical gradients
across scales ranging from
millimetres to metres. In life,
these materials modulate their
p r o p e r t i e s i n r e s p o n s e t o h e a t a n d
humidity; in death, they dissociate
in water to fuel new life.Continued research has led to the
first architectural-scale iteration
of the Aguahoja series, a 5m-tall
structure with a flexible biocomposite
skin. The robotic deposition of
cellulose and chitosan allows for
the creation of a generative surface
pattern that alters the stiffness
a n d c o l o u r o f p a n e l s i n r e s p o n s e t o
environmental parameters. When
exposed to rain, the skin degrades
programmatically, restoring its
b u i l d i n g b l o c k s t o t h e i r n a t u r a l
ecosystem, thereby continuing the
natural cycle.Another element of the project is
the Aguahoja Artifacts series, which
represents four years of research
into material chemistry in order to
develop a library of functional
biocomposites. Although diverse in
appearance, the pieces are all
c o m p o s e d f r o m t h e s a m e e l e m e n t s:
chitosan, cellulose, pectin and
water. The variety of textures and
forms reflects the manner in which
they are expressed in nature, where
a material such as chitin can
compose both the exoskeletons of
crustaceans and the cell walls of
f u n g i. I n c o n t r a s t t o s t e e l a n d
concrete, these artifacts are in
c o n s t a n t d i a l o g u e w i t h t h e i r
environment. Some exhibit dramatic
c h a n g e s i n r e s p o n s e t o h u m i d i t y
and heat; others darken or lighten
as the seasons change. Some are
transparent and brittle with a
glassy texture, while others remain
flexible and tough like leather.
But they all share a common quality:
i n l i f e t h e i r p r o p e r t i e s a r e
mediated by humidity; in death they
dissociate in water and return to
the ecosystem.CREDITSResearch and design by The Mediated
Matter Group at the MIT Media Lab
in collaboration with Zijay Tang,
Prof Tim Lu at the MIT Lu Lab, and
Shaymus Hudson. Mediated Matter
researchers include Jorge Duro-
Royo, Laia Mogas-Soldevilla, Daniel
Lizardo, Joshua Van Zak, Yen-Ju (Tim)
Tai, Andrea Ling, Christoph Bader,
Nic Hogan, Barrak Darweesh, Sunanda
Sharma, James Weaver, and group
d i r e c t o r N e r i O x m a n. S p e c i a l t h a n k s
to the TBA-21 Academy (Thyssen-
Bornemisza Art Contemporary),
GettyLab, the Robert Woods Johnson
Foundation, and the Autodesk Build
Space Collaborators.AGUAHOJA
2016–2018
Matter
Biopolymers (shrimp shells,
cellulose, corn starch)Media
Water-based digital fabricationOrganism
ShrimpAbove, 3D-printing the biocomposite
panels. Variations of nozzle
diameter, height, air pressure
and arm speed generate variation
i n s t r u c t u r a l m e m b e r t h i c k n e s s
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