Lessons from nature [Biomimicry- Construction

Abstract

Two finalists in the 2022 Ray of Hope Prize have looked to nature for innovative ways to transform the sector and improve the environmental impact of urban construction, ultimately making cities more sustainable. Biomimicry plays a key role in these innovations, with both Mycocycle and Metavoxel drawing inspiration from natural processes to create new solutions for the construction industry. Metavoxel has invented new composite building materials that have taken inspiration from the cellular construction of materials such as bone, wood, and sea sponge. These programmable, cellular building materials are based on discrete assembly of modular building-block parts. By leveraging the benefits of cellular architecture, Metavoxel can address a range of performance regimes with significantly less material while offering improved performance through application-specific tunability. This means that the construction industry can cut the cost of building projects and improve structural efficiency, as Metavoxel's cellular innovations are around 98% air but maintain a high level of structural performance. Mycocycle, on the other hand, works with fungi to break down complex construction waste materials. Inspired by biomimicry, Mycocycle not only processes the waste but also recycles it into building materials that can be used in new products. This innovative approach to waste management not only addresses the growing issue of unsustainable disposal of waste materials but also provides a sustainable source of building materials.