Thomas Heatherwick: designer of the "seed cathedral"

Seed Cathedral - UK Pavilion at the World Expo, Shanghai 2010.  Photo: Iwan Bann (available at www.heatherwick.com)

The recently released Ted Talk video of designer Thomas Heatherwick provides background, motivation, and discussion of his designs inspired by nature.  One of the most widely publicized is the Seed Cathedral, or the UK Pavilion at the World Expo, Shanghai 2010.  It is comprised of 66,000 seeds trapped in the tips of fiber optic rods that give the cube-like building a furry surreal look and through its simplicity and striking design, it leaves the visitor undoubtedly transformed.

Have a look at the Ted talk, then pop on over to the Heatherwick website to check out their other works.  My favorite is the bridge whose ends kiss themselves.


http://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_heatherwick.html

http://www.heatherwick.com/uk-pavilion/

http://www.heatherwick.com/

A view inside the Seed Cathedral suggests the human face amidst 66,000 seeds - UK Pavilion at the World Expo, Shanghai 2010.  Photo: Iwan Bann (available at www.heatherwick.com)

Metabolic Materials: Dr. Rachel Armstrong

An artist's depiction of the city of Venice after the implementation of the metabolic materials of Rachel Armstrong. The limestone formations protect the buildings from the sea and new sea life can utilize the architectural formations bringing a new attraction to the city which is sustainable and natural.

Another exciting bit of research involving living, or in this case, semi-living protocells and architecture. Dr. Rachel Armstrong, from the Bartlett School of Architecture, discussed her ideas for buildings that not only repair themselves, but signal a departure from traditional architecture. Her ideas call for architecture that merges with the environment through materials that are alive and become part of the ecological systems in the surroundings. In this way the buildings can be sustainable, beneficial to the inhabitants of cities, and produce opportunities for new encounters with life.

Watch her TED talk here: http://www.ted.com/talks/rachel_armstrong_architecture_that_repairs_itself.html

Buildings in the Desert: Sand and Bacteria

Image taken from the Holcim Foundation website.

Full image available here:

http://www.holcimfoundation.org/Portals/1/images/holcim_imagegallery/A08AMEng12-006f.jpg

Architect Magnus Larsson presented his novel project idea in a Ted talk recently, in which he proposed to halt the expansion of the Saharan desert by using the sand itself. His construction idea involves the use of a bacteria (bacillus pasteurii) which can be used to turn ordinary sand into sandstone.

Read more about the science behind this new bio material:

http://www.sil.ucdavis.edu/projects-bsi.htm

Read more about the architect's projects and ideas on his website:

http://www.magnuslarsson.com/architecture/dune.asp