Katie MacDonald and Kyle Schumann, Assistant Professors of Architecture and Directors of the Before Building Laboratory at UVA and Cofounders of After Architecture, shared their innovative research into biomaterials – building materials derived from living organisms that sequester carbon. This research uses both non-traditional biomaterials such as grasses and invasive plants, as well as expands the possibilities for traditional materials such as wood.
According to the UN Environment Programme, the built environment accounts for a staggering 39% of all annual carbon emissions worldwide. This figure comprises of both operational carbon – the ongoing carbon emissions from its daily use, and embodied carbon – all the CO2 emitted in producing materials. Confronting the climate crisis demands a radical rethinking of how we produce and how we use buildings.
The Before Building Laboratory invents and builds new construction technologies and material systems, combining biological processes of growth with advanced computational processes and tools. MacDonald and Schumann shared a collection of their recent and ongoing research being developed at the University of Virginia School of Architecture, envisioning a radical biomaterial future.
This virtual event was sponsored by the University of Virginia School of Architecture and UVA's Office of Engagement.