Hi-tech / Low-tech / Bio-tech: Crafting the BioKnit Prototype

Abstract:What could a biological architecture look like? What would it feel like to inhabit a building that has been grown rather than constructed? BioKnit explores how knitted fabric can be used in a biohybrid↗ system with fungi and bacteria to produce a large-scale, freestanding structure. In contrast to the smooth, hard, rectilinear building interiors which have become ubiquitous over the last hundred years, BioKnit examines how novel construction materials enable us to rethink the spaces and surfaces we inhabit, in this case incorporating organic forms and tactile surfaces. The prototype is composed of mycelium (the root network of fungi), cellulose (produced by bacteria), and knitting (produced using 3D knit technologies). These materials have a considerably lower environmental impact compared to conventional construction materials and provide the opportunity to radically rethink how and what we build.

Publication year:2023

Accessibility:Open

Review status:Peer-reviewed