Material Form Function

Transient Materials and Functions

From the problem of pollution to the circular economy and ecodesign strategies, materiality is becoming a crucial issue for scientific, technical, social and political considerations in regards to sustainability. Within the approach of MFF which focuses on the activity of materials, evolving through time and context, it can be argued that the notion of material waste does not have to be considered as a final state but rather a transitory step of reconfiguration. A different approach would not only involve working and developing materials capable of evolution and transformation, it also should seek to explore, question and rethink pursued functions and practices within sociotechnical contexts.

This research axis unfolds within 3 dimensions:

It will look into the activity of the materials in the sustainability discourse, and the problema and notion of waste, which is inherently linked to the anthropocentric industrialization paradigm of material passivation. The research will reflect on this ›legacy‹ in respect to questions of matters own activity, flow and transition, degradation and resilience, ecologies and contexts.

Shaped by boundary conditions, different from our design and manufacturing constraints, nature uses few basic elements to obtain a large variety of structures and functions. The research aims to abstract some of the core principles in biological material solutions that can find parallels in the sustainability discourse; for instance the questions of mono materiality, circularity, resilience in relationship to structural diversity, multi functionality and robustness.

We will draw on this approach, either to rethink and redesign certain structure and functionalities of the existing critical material systems, or to find new waste assemblages, new strategies to make with, to live with, a damaged planet. Eventually, the researchers will hold a series of workshops on specific waste streams (e.g. animal, metal, fiber) to build new design strategies aiming at unveiling their possible transient states.

Fibrous and Tessellated Materials Systems

The research strands Fibrous and Tessellated Materials Systems share an interest in biological materials and aim to uncover their structure-function relationships at tissue, organism and ecosystem levels. The main focus is on active materials whose dynamic character derives from the integration of stiff building blocks (respectively 1D -fibers- or 2D -tesserae) into a flexible matrix, and the organization of matter among their interfaces.

»Fibrous Materials« explores the broader field of fibre-based biological materials such as wood, seed pods, bacterial biofilms and African wild silk in relation to active matter and smart materials, in order to examine how natural material interfaces and structures can be used as models for the development of efficient , sustainable smart material interfaces. Active processes in these materials are environmentally triggered and result in a response which can be a change in pressure, water content, fibre elongation, and/or growth. Based on these natural fibre-based systems with varying levels of geometric complexity, we will identify, isolate, and locally determine shape-changing processes using numerical analysis and time-resolved imaging techniques.

»Tessellated Material Systems« explores form-function relationships in biological tilings such as shark and ray tessellated cartilage and armadillo dermal armor. Such tessellated biological systems employ hierarchical, architectural arrangements of large tiles linked by flexible fibers to mediate surprising mechanical and kinematic functions. We use the ecology of the natural tessellations (their biological context) as a framework for studies of how mechanical stability and dynamic flexibility are balanced. To do this, we combine state-of-the-art morphological techniques (imaging-based characterization of structural and material properties) and functional engineering/design approaches (e.g. biomechanical simulations and physical models), examining feedback loops between tissue composition, architecture and materials properties and their multifaceted roles in natural systems.

»Shape-Changing Materials Design« - A shared aim of both strands is to design and fabricate synthetic architected materials with complex morphing behaviors: by leveraging the non-linear deformations of slender building-blocks forming such architected materials, we will explore new ways to control structural instabilities (e.g. integrating smart materials) and achieve abrupt changes in overall mechanical and functional properties. In addition to deepening our understanding of the biological systems, through these explorations we aim to identify overarching principles in fibrous and tiled architectures —both natural and artificial. These principles could inform efficient and sustainable material concepts for scaffolds and structures for spatial applications, e.g., in architecture, (wearable) design, and multi-functional robotics, providing basic input for the development of active structures at the architectural scale.

Active Skins and Scaffolds

Building on studies of structure-function relationships in the natural world and the findings and principles of fiber-based and tessellated materials systems, our research strand focuses on the architectural context and scale. Specifically, we aim to provide alternative approaches for building skins and structures that can overcome the current paradigm of building envelopes as tight barriers, often consisting of an abundance of materials to shield the inside from the outside environment. Instead, we will think of active skins that make use of environmental elements such as humidity, air, and temperature to cope with climatic fluctuations. Adaptive structural scaffolds as open material systems will replace the idea of static building blocks. Novel concepts for constructing and joining will be explored in this context. Components based on fibrous structures, tessellated elements or phase-changing materials will form active boundaries that protect by working with the environment—and not against it. Design strategies evolving from the historical analysis and experimental prototyping will go hand in hand with advanced modelling and imaging techniques.

Facing our time’s most pressing concerns, we are exploring how active materiality can transform our material and environmental practices to reduce the current carbon footprint and respond to the fundamental challenges in dealing with extreme and rapidly changing climate conditions. Our research questions the notion of stability of materials, examining their responsiveness and interconnectedness with the surroundings on multiple scales – from the microscopic to the architectural. Simultaneously, we seek to address the logic of waste. Mono-material and bio-based design concepts will support the systemic change required in the processes of assembling and disassembling material components. This will be explored by combining methods from Architectural Design, Engineering, Natural Sciences, and the Humanities.

Engineered Organs – Regeneration and Repurposing

A strand of the »Material Form Function« group that explores processes and logics of regeneration in the living realm, has a focus on experimental surgery and regenerative medicine. A key research area for personalized (gene-based) medicine in transplantation and oncology lies in the bio-fabrication of structurally well-defined and reproducible three-dimensional models that contain an ›in vivo‹-like vasculature based on a human, patient-derived extracellular matrix (ECM). The ECM is the non-cellular component present within all tissues and organs providing the structural and biochemical support of the other major functional component, the cells. The goal is to make poorly predictive 2D cell cultures and animal models obsolete by creating 3D perfusable anatomical structures. »NeoOrgans«, i.e. engineered organs that eventually will be implanted to substitute failing organ function, would have a crucial impact on transplantation medicine, currently suffering from organ donation’s scarcity.

The research strand aims to expand the tissue regeneration and repurposing strategies through experimental, practice-based material explorations combining bioengineering and polymer chemistry with design disciplines. Drawing on the recent paradigm shift in materials science and engineering, where the traditional emphasis on strength, durability and high-performance has been challenged by the new, self-healing capacities of materials, our aim is to equip material constructs with ›maintenance mechanisms‹ that allow new and existing structures to retain robustness and functionality while undergoing constant transformation. Similar to the regeneration of tissue and organs, these regenerative mechanisms are often guided and orchestrated via dendritic or vascular typologies, which enable metabolic functions in living organisms, maintain exchange and circulation, and emerge in processes of formation, assembly, and regeneration of living tissues and artificial materials.

Two approaches to vascularisations will be explored experimentally in collaboration: one focuses on processes of directed self-implementation of micro-vascular channels generated by electric discharge. Healing and regenerative dimensions of interactions between the body, material and electricity will be discussed in the context of critical and speculative design. Another line of research will investigate vascular encapsulations for energy exchange in architecture, relying on the generative capacity of thermodynamic processes. Based on the knowledge from these investigations, regeneration and repurposing will be studied as a broad concept that connects domains of medical research with the practices of healing, care and maintenance in design and architecture.

Behavioral Matter

Built from the two projects Matters of Activity (HU) and Behavioral Objects (Ensad), Behavioral Matter is a practice-based research project addressing the notion of behavior relative to matter and materials, objects and techniques. It aims at creating new protocols, new forms and formats for interdisciplinary research in science, humanities, art and design developing encounters around a new approach of matter and materials, objects and techniques, based on the notion of behavior on the one hand and of active matter on the other hand. By turning our attention to the agentivity of matter and working with active materials and systems, both natural and artificial, BM opens perspectives for developing works of art and design, integrating ecosystem and ecology requirements. We also create new visual vocabularies, new interpretations, which can reveal the inner structural world of matter as much as its possible – or impossible – ›devenirs‹.