Extra-curricular Research Project 

CCA Autodesk Academic Alliance 

Research Faculty: 

CCA - Margaret Ikeda, Evan Jones, Negar Kalantar

UCSF - Dyche Mullins

In collaboration with: 

CCA - Claire Leffler, Kimia Bam Farahnak

UCSF - Elizabeth Bond, Frederik Leon

This project is part of a year-long collaborative research initiative between CCA Architectural Ecologies Lab and UCSF in association with Autodesk Technology Center Academic Alliance. We worked on developing a ‘Bio-Clay’ that utilizes a living bacterial solution to produce strength in the clay body without the need for high energy baking. Furthermore, we were interested in analyzing the micro-molecular structure and self-assembly of the calcium-carbonate precipitation by the bacteria, to learn lessons about the efficient manner in which nature creates order across multiple scales. The potential for this material to become an alternative to carbon intensive concrete production in some applications is very exciting and is inspiring an engaging collaboration between designers and scientists across the globe.