Performative Biopolymers
Design Lab Workshop

Teams designed material samples utilizing toolpath centered procedures to 3D print gradated biopolymer composites. Following initial material testing, students customized sets of plant-based gels with varying opacities, colors, and textures appropriate for their designs. Aided by digital simulations, gradients of these gels were synchronized with robotic motion paths, resulting in material outcomes with embedded patterning and cross sectional variations in thickness, rigidity, and structure. Explorations, such as these, position technology and ecology at the center of material design.

Workshop:
Performative Biopolymers Design Lab
Master of Science in Architectural Technologies  
The Southern California Institute of Architecture, Spring 2022

Instructors:
Garrett Sutherlin Santo & Paul Sutherlin Santo
with Casey Rehm

Students:
Ade Ayoade, Jimmy Cheng, Andre DePew, Carolina Garcia, Kai Johnson, Astha Kapila, Yashwanth Munukoti, Saeri Shojima, Samantha Stapleton, Wendy Zhang