In a Seashell

»Matters of Activity« contributed to Berlin Science Week 2024 with a workshop about connecting marine-based industries and construction for a more sustainable architecture.

Each year, over 10 million tonnes of shells—mostly from oysters, clams, scallops, and mussels—are discarded as waste, despite their high calcium carbonate content. Environmental architect Angie Dub and design researcher Heidi Jalkh, based in Buenos Aires, explore turning this so-called waste into sustainable building materials. Combining crushed shells with algae-based biopolymers, they create heat-free bioceramics made entirely from marine biomass. What started with the exploration of the material in South America, is now being further developed in Berlin, where Angie and Heidi are testing the physical properties, characteristics, and possible implementation scenarios, while transforming local value chains.

So, how could we make better use of the potential of these ingenious materials? Let’s explore this together! First, we dove into Heidi's and Angie’s recent findings. We listened to and discussed with recognized experts from the gastronomy industry, material research, policy-making and innovative architecture, such as Christiane Sauer (MoA | khb) or Kika Brockstedt (revalu). For more information about the contributors, see the website of the Berlin Science Week.
During the second part, it was the participant´s turn: In a hands-on workshop, they discussed how we can overcome the challenges that arise when implementing speculative new materials. In small groups, they developed future scenarios and prototype design solutions.
In the final round, we presented our ideas to each other to find out where we are on common ground between everyone taking part in this discussion. What could be the next steps to turn our ideas into reality?

The event was presented by BE-FELLOW, a Fellowship Program resulting from the collaboration between Bauhaus Earth and Experimental, and the Cluster of Excellence Matters of Activity. It will be moderated by Rosa Hanhausen (Bauhaus Earth Fellowship Program) and Antje Nestler (Matters of Activity).

Bauhaus Earth
Bauhaus Earth is an interdisciplinary and international think-and-make tank based in Berlin and Potsdam, dedicated to the regenerative transformation of our built environment. It advocates for profound systemic change, promoting the transition to bio- and geo-based materials, circular construction, the reuse of existing structures, the restoration of biodiversity, and the development of cities and landscapes as natural carbon sinks.

Experimental
Experimental is a non-profit organization that supports projects seeking to chart new territories in the field of architecture with the aim of changing how and with what we build, and focuses on the systemic-analytical and practical building experimentation, closely linked to knowledge exchange and dissemination.

Matters of Activity
In the Cluster Matters of Activity at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, researchers from more than 40 disciplines investigate the inner activity of materials to develop more sustainable, resilient and fairer concepts and products in the future. Possible fields of application for Matters of Activity's basic research include architecture, soft robotics, the development of new textiles and materials, (digital) filters, and surgery.