Susannah Dickinson, Federico Peralta Pederson, and Hee-Jeong Kim
This paper disseminates methodologies and findings from an interdisciplinary collaboration between a second-year, core undergraduate architecture digital design communication class and a graduate-level material science engineering class, both at a state university in the southwestern USA. The two related faculty members’ expertise included computational design, biomimetics, complexity, digital fabrication processes and multi-scale chemo-mechanical characterisation of advanced materials. This interdisciplinary connection was seen as a crucial step towards greater environmental sustainability in the built environment, where currently disciplines still remain relatively siloed in their expertise and scales of influence. The collaboration focused on creating environmentally friendly 3D cementitious material systems that incorporated seven different waste by-products and underutilised materials, including copper slag, bone meal and spent coffee grounds. Cementitious mixes were chosen due to their widespread use, while 3D printing allowed for high-level customisation and complex geometries, reducing production time, costs, material usage, and waste as a model for the building construction industry. Mechanical properties across various mixes and geometries were compared to further enhance performance and sustainability.
Keywords: sustainability, material science, design pedagogy, bioinspired design, 3d fabrication