Malik, Shneel;
(2022)
Viscous Boundaries: Algae-laden scaffolds for the built environment.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
This thesis investigates the creation of new living membranes for architecture. It explores the design and fabrication of large-scale photosynthetic panels made of water-based algae-laden biological materials. The research begins by recognising natural processes as fluid processes within which the temporal stabilities of growth and decay are actively integrated. This allows to reimagine building materials as fluid systems assembled across scales of magnitude, thereby creating a transitory ‘viscous’ zone that establishes a continuum between the object of artificial ecosystems (architecture) with the subject of the environment (nature). Situated at the intersection of architecture and biochemical engineering, the work delves on the pivotal role of viscosity in water-based polymeric materials to support biological activity. Hydrogels are shown to exhibit cell-friendly environments on the microscale, while being able to construct a hierarchical composite with structural and chemical stability on the macroscale. The hydrogel’s viscous properties are crucial for scale-up fabrication through techniques of additive manufacturing and casting. Morphological investigations have led to a series of large-scale scaffolds, with varying properties ranging from homogenous ‘biolayers’ to the heterogenous ‘biohybrids’. Each were designed to optimise the performance of microalgal cells and their relative photosynthetic activity as they performed applications such as bioremediation, biosorption and biophotovoltaics. The workflow developed through this thesis illustrates the possibility of applying biocompatible structures made of viscous biomaterials in the built environment.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Viscous Boundaries: Algae-laden scaffolds for the built environment |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2021. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment > The Bartlett School of Architecture UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10146906 |
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