Visualization for the project Thinking Soils
We were commissioned to create an image for the project Thinking soils, which proposes an novel foundation system using a genetically modified sensing bacteria system. Here is a small abstract of the project:
We report on a novel project to integrate a civil engineering application with Synthetic Biology through the development of a mechanical sensing bacteria system. The project integrates a team of molecular biologists, civil engineers and an architect. The aim of the project is to create a bio-based system to strengthen soils in response to mechanical forces. In this system, synthetic bacteria would act as a biological grout enabling, for example, self-constructing foundations. Aside from the geotechnical applications such a technology would push well beyond the current state of the art and challenge a new generation of engineering designers to think at multiple scales from molecular to the built environment and to anticipate civil engineering with living organisms.
In collaboration with Luis Hernan
