CONQ
Marine Biobased Materials for the Built Environment
CONQ samples. Copyright: Heidi Jalkh and Angie Dub
Every year, more than 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 experimental designer Heidi Jalkh, based in Buenos Aires, are finding ways to turn this so-called waste into a sustainable material for the built environment. By combining crushed seashells with algae-based biopolymers, they create a heat-free bioceramic* made entirely from marine biomass. In the current phase, material samples are undergoing testing to determine their physical properties and characteristics. These evaluations will inform and guide the exploration of possible implementation scenarios for the material in various applications.
This practice-based research explores the potential of bioregional value chains derived mainly from marine food waste, starting in the immediate urban territories of Buenos Aires and Berlin—where their practices are based. The goal is to design and produce a construction system in modular fragments with varying mechanical and aesthetic properties.
This project harnesses waste as a high-value material, aligning with the principles of the blue economy while respecting planetary boundaries.
* Based on the bioceramic recipe developed by LABVA (Valdivia, Chile)
Angie Dub is an architect and educator based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since 2020, she has been running DUB Arquitectura, an architecture studio and consultancy working on the application of sustainable architecture with a research-to-practice approach, using her buildings as platforms to explore the application of new, bio-based materials. She coordinates and teaches at the Sustainable Architecture and Urbanism Postgraduate Masters program at the University of Buenos Aires and Universidad di Tella. She studied at the University of Buenos Aires and holds a Masters Degree in sustainable environmental design from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.
Heidi Jalkh is an experimental designer, design educator, researcher, and curator, born in Medellín, Colombia, and currently based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Trained in industrial design, she is a specialist in the Logic and Technique of Form and holds a master’s in interdisciplinary research through the Open Design program, a collaboration between Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) and Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA). Heidi’s work focuses on material design, blending her interests in bio-inspired and biofabricated materials, interdisciplinary research, and craft-based processes. She leads the research group Sistemas Materiales and teaches at various universities in Argentina. In 2022, Heidi received the Humboldt Innovation Prize, and in 2024, she was awarded the Experimental Fellowship at Bauhaus Earth.
Dana Saez – Material Testing | RHTW Aachen
Lorenzo Rossi – Project assistance
Micaela Fernandes – Graphic design
Ernesto Marceca – Chemical advisor
Experimental fellowship at Bauhaus Earth
2024 – Ongoing
Berlin Science Week
https://www.matters-of-activity.de/en/activities/14928/in-a-seashell
https://berlinscienceweek.com/programme/seashell-marine-based-industries-and-construction-meet-towards-more-sustainable-architecture
CONQ Kickoff Buenos Aires
https://www.bauhauserde.org/articles/conq-launch-be-fellow-project-buenos-aires
