Project Description
This research explores ceramic 3D printing with foraged local wild clay and recycled materials (such as paper, natural fibers, and sawdust) to create multispecies designs. The material study seeks to test and document how various additives and fabrication processes modify the material mixture’s physical and aesthetic properties during printing, drying, and kiln firing. These properties are leveraged and combined to create sensorial, joyful, and exuberant built forms that support and interact with a diverse range of urban animals, plants, natural elements, and human occupants. The research aims to critically engage a non-human-centric design paradigm and advocates for architecture to be a playful world-building device that invites speculation, curiosity, and engagement. The research methodology will proceed through several stages. Stage 1: Material sourcing and preparation focuses on the identification and evaluation of local wild clay sources and testing their compatibility with various recycled additives. Stage 2: 3D printing process development investigates the calibration of the digital process for various clay mixtures augmented by analog means to generate novel surfaces, textures, and geometries that challenge the stereotypical “3D-printer aesthetics”. Stage 3: Multispecies design, prototyping, and fabrication focuses on applying the material research findings to the design of a small-scale, site-specific multispecies intervention.
Tasks and Responsibilites
Stage 1: Material Sourcing and Preparation (2 weeks) Conduct precedent research with a focus on Milwaukee-specific historical references, geology, and ecological conditions. Gather, sort, catalog, and process paper and model waste generated by SARUP architecture design studio students (collected by the research mentor at the end of Fall 2024 semester) into clay additives. Source, collect, and process wild clay under the guidance of the research mentor.
Stage 2: 3D printing process Development. (4 weeks) Conduct precedent research on 3D-ceramic printing fabrication and assembly. Create a series of study models that experiment with various clay mixtures, fabrication processes, molds, and assemblies. Create drawings, photos, and animations that document the making process.
Stage 3: Multispecies design, prototyping, and fabrication (6 weeks) Design, fabricate, and document a small-scale architectural intervention in the form of scaled models and drawings that engages with a minimum of one non-human species (such as an urban animal or a plant species), one natural element (such as wind, snow, or rain), and a human occupant.
Stage 4: Final documentation (3 weeks) Compile the research, design, and making process for upload to the project website and social media. Prepare material for exhibition at SARUP.
Desired Qualifications
None Listed.