#16082 - Distributed Design Platform

Detailed Description

My project promotes biodiversity by encouraging mutualistic relationships between bees and fungi through the design of 3D-printed habitats. Over recent years, I have developed an original biohybrid construction method focused on building resilient dwellings, especially for wood-dwelling bees like honeybees, carpenters, and mason bees. This design-to-fabrication-to-ecosystem approach revitalises the natural symbiosis with wood-degrading mycelial fungi, using multiscalar porous 3D-printed scaffolds. These 3D scaffolds are intended to negotiate a number of functional and performance parameters, with the somewhat unusual purpose of being able to create the form and material substrates, and therefore the "aliveness" of near-dead wood constructions that can be deployed in urban and rural settings.

Project Details

In your project's current stage of development, how does it align with the OPENNESS value of the Distributed Design Platform?: I am deeply committed to the principles of openness in all aspects of design—from conception through execution. My project is not just about crafting 3D-printed and organically grown bee habitats; it's about setting a precedent for how knowledge and technology should be shared, and how science-based designs and outputs of highly funded research projects can benefit from distributed experimentation.
I am still positively driven by my earlier experiences at a local hackerspace in Copenhagen in 2016, where I learned to "hack" and build 3D printers. I've seen the power and fun of sharing and the maker community firsthand. I've dedicated a large part of my PhD project to making my design models and methods available to the public through workshops for kids, architecture and design students, and also friends.

Throughout my PhD, I've prioritised transparency, hosting workshops and sharing detailed guides and design files on Instructables.com (https://www.instructables.com/3D-Printed-and-Mycelium-Grown-Beehives/) This platform has allowed me to reach a global audience, ensuring that my work isn't confined to academic circles but is usable and beneficial to anyone with interest. The feedback from the interactions in this web platform has been instrumental in refining my designs to be more user-friendly and adaptable.

By participating in the WASP residency, I aim to further these efforts, from material science, software, and social impact. The advanced technologies and expert mentorship available at WASP will be crucial in refining my designs to accommodate varying technical skills and resources, making 3D printing more accessible and impactful across different communities. This residency will not only enhance the technical aspects of my work but also expand its reach, ensuring that it can serve as a valuable resource for a wider range of users.

In your project's current stage of development, how does it align with the COLLABORATIVE value of the Distributed Design Platform?: Collaboration is at the heart to my project, particularly since I have contributed to and worked on a highly collaborative, transdisciplinary, and international EU research project for the past five years. I've been mediating design, engineering, and biology disciplinary linkages.
During the desing, build and field tests with the mycelial beehive design case, I haven't had the resources to involve end-user human stakeholders at every stage, but I see bees and other insects as valuable partners. My decisions are guided by their needs and health, which have been made possible primarily through science, hands-on field excursions, and knowledge-sharing communities. Through workshops and co-creative camps, I've integrated other people's ideas and participation, ultimately shaping the project's outcome collectively. In this case, a meaningful participatory design would be capable of empirically, empathically, and scientifically assessing the impact of these designs on various ecosystems. Can this mean a multispecies collaboration?
While I prioritize the well-being of the bees and the broader ecosystem they support over societal norms of how these insects should "serve" human society, a valid method of evaluating these experimental designs is to recruit others to build and monitor, thereby becoming interested in and potentially improving this eco-centric technology and craftsmanship.

In your project's current stage of development, how does it align with the REGENERATIVE value of the Distributed Design Platform?: This project is deeply committed to regenerative design principles, focusing not only on creating habitats but also on restoring and renewing the ecosystems they inhabit. By integrating biological, technological, and craft-based design approaches, it seeks to rehabilitate urban and natural ecosystems, adding value that transcends mere conservation.

In the case of the biohybrid beehives, which incorporate mycelial fungi into 3D-printed scaffolds, the designed scaffold should enhance the symbiotic relationships between honeybees and their environments. These bees are keystone species in many terrestrial ecosystems, relying on human-made structures that now play a crucial ecological role. The project utilises advanced fused deposition manufacturing to create porous scaffolds, which support wood-decay fungi growth. These fungi not only provide essential thermal insulation and structural integrity but also introduce self-healing properties and beneficial metabolites, enhancing colony resilience and health.

The design takes into account the biological life cycles of interacting species—honeybees and mycelial fungi—which are essential for the project's success. These cycles drive the need for stable and beneficial living conditions, achieved through our innovative hive designs. The scaffolds are tailored not only to meet the physical needs of bees but also to support the ecological functions of fungi, thereby enriching soil and promoting forest health.

On the macroscale, the forms support modularity for easy fabrication and assembly and facilitate multispecies inhabitation using scientific literature on the keystone and/or endangered bees, as well as experimental forms. The material topology will be (better) engineered for mechanical strength and efficient production times. At the molecular level, the composition of the deposited materials should enable the integration of lignocellulosic waste from agricultural and timber industries. This integration fosters habitats that significantly enhance both mechanical and thermal performance. In the next phase, the 3D printed scaffolds will be infilled with substrate mixtures from timber, carpentry, or farmland wastes and will be inoculated with medicinal mycelial species. This would create an attractive (due to the fungal microbial volatiles) and a nurturing environment for bees, enhancing pollination, and supporting diverse multispecies habitats. This project is a model for how design can be both a response to and a catalyst for ecological regeneration, emphasising ongoing adaptation and enhancement of ecosystems, and the very important role of humans in caring, maintaining and learning about these regenerative systems.

Focussing on mechanical integrity and porosity through my approach of continuous extrusion patterns, my goal is to improve the extrusion techniques for lignocellulosic composites during my residence in the expert-enriched atmosphere of Wasp3D land. I also intend to further my studies by working with experts. The main objectives of my project are listed below together with how a 3D printing specialist might help to realise them:

Extrusion Scale Porosity: I intend to carefully regulate porosity at the extrusion scale to produce "edible" objects with decaying yet structural characteristics for habitat architectures , so optimising conditions for mycelia and bees inside the hive and other modular structures.

Bioinspired Toolpath Design: Using an engineered and crafted approach to 3D printing technology, I would like to improve the structural integrity and thermal performance of the habitat modules. Associative modelling will help to accomplish this by letting different fibre orientations and strategic placement of internal reinforcements in the composites.

Open sourcing: Advance the methods and factors necessary to develop improved instructions and creation processes that facilitate ease of understanding, experimentation, and construction of customizable, modular, open-source biohybrid living composites.

In your project's current stage of development, how does it align with the ECOSYSTEMIC value of the Distributed Design Platform?: I understand the complex interactions between cultural, natural, and social aspects very well, and I create my design with the aim of improving the well-being of these systems. My project supports biodiversity by creating habitats that encourage beneficial relationships between bees and fungi. These ecological interactions are vital for pollination, honey production, and nutrient recycling. This supports the growth of healthy, affordable food, ultimately, via preventing inflation, unfolding numerous beneficial effects for our whole society.

In highly manicured urban environments, the removal of essential decaying wood habitats significantly impacts species dependent on these ecosystems. My project introduces structures that embody both decay and life, integrating seamlessly into urban landscapes to replace lost habitats quickly and efficiently, leveraging waste from consumer goods industries.

My continuous 3D deposition technique makes it easy to deposit nutrient-rich composites for mycelial penetration, maintaining uninterrupted toolpaths that enhance structural integrity and reduce energy consumption. This method significantly accelerates productivity while minimising environmental impact.

Currently in the prototype phase, this proposal to create "ecosystem starter architectural kits" includes a mycelial honeybee hive that has successfully passed initial field tests with an overwintering bee colony. However, to fully realize this project's potential, collaboration with material science and 3D printing experts is essential. During the WASP residency, I aim to refine the extrusion processes for lignocellulosic composites and enhance the mechanical properties and porosity of the habitats. This engagement will allow me to further use these findings in workshops, and hopefully future research projects.