Alginate, in comparison to the already commercially used microalgae, has an yet undiscovered potential in architecture. It is the structure-giving element of brown algae and occurs in their cell walls.
This elastic material, which is extracted from algae and combined with certain additives, can be easily shaped and permanently retains the desired shape. Depending on the additive, the material properties change and thus enable the production of different elements. The possible geometries range from linear filaments to membranes and shells.
Credits: Ivan Marjanović, Milena Stavric, Institut für Architektur und Medien, Technische Universität Graz, SFB-Projekt “Advanced Computational Design”. Diese Arbeit wurde durch den Österreichischen Wissenschaftsfonds (FWF) finanziert, Projekt Nr. F77.