Portrait by John Behets. Image Courtesy of Blast Studio.
What can nature teach us about design? How can we elevate our design principles by turning to nature? More importantly, how can nature and technology successfully coexist to create a more sustainable urban environment? These are the questions that London-based Blast Studio are investigating through their innovative approach to design, which brings 3D printing and mycelium together to create fascinatingly intricate sculptures and architectural solutions.
Founded by Paola Garnousset, Martin Detoeuf and Pierre de Pingon in 2018, Blast Studio transforms urban waste into a paste-like biomaterial; a fertile material that mycelium can feed on. The paste is 3D printed using algorithms to form shapes that are conducive to continual mycelial growth. Through their innovative approach, Blast Studio is exploring the potential of biodiversity in the urban landscape while considering the relationship between technology, human and nature. In a thought-provoking conversation, Paola Garnousset – one-third of Blast Studio – speaks to SLEEK about the future of design, how technology interacts with nature and what a biodiverse urban landscape may look like.
Cabinet de Curiosité. Image Courtesy of Blast Studio.
SLEEK: You describe your studio as a “biological laboratory of architecture & sensitive technology.” Could you explain what that means?
Paola Garnousset: We started Blast Studio with the idea of bringing an alternative approach to architecture that would place nature and technology in a dialogue. We’re passionate about investigating architecture’s future, and the role nature and technology can play in it. We’re rethinking the idea of what architecture is, asking questions about who it’s made for and why, and how nature can co-exist within the man-made.
S: What was it you wanted to bring to the design industry? What did you feel was missing?
PG: When Blast Studio started 4 years ago, we were craving an alternative solution to design that was more sustainable than others proposed at that time. We were radical in our questioning of what sustainability could be. We began to consider the idea of urban waste and how a hyper local system could allow us to create more innovative solutions.
Tree Table. Image Courtesy of Blast Studio.
S: Speaking of urban waste, you are developing a chain of micro-recycling facilities called the Urban Stomach. Can you tell us more about this initiative?
PG: With the Urban Stomach, we’re imagining that we could create small facilities across the city, where urban waste can be transformed into something new. Similar to how parks are described as the lungs of the city, the Urban Stomach would be the city’s digestive system. Our studio in North Acton is London’s first Urban Stomach where we take waste from our local area [often cardboard and coffee cups] and repurpose it into new biomaterials, which can then be used to create our artefacts and architectural pieces. We’re hoping to expand this initiative further across the city to bring localised recycling together with radical designs.
S: You say that with your work, you “want to tell a story of technology and nature falling in love.” Why is the marriage of nature and technology important when it comes to the future of design?
PG: Martin, Pierre and I all grew up with the internet, so I think we shared this common desire to propose a positive use of technology. We really see technology as an opportunity to exchange between humans and nature. Through our work, we have learnt that most living organisms are very difficult to work with, they are very demanding and rely on a number of factors in order to survive. Technology, therefore, has become a great tool in allowing us to bridge this gap to connect deeper with the biomaterials that we are dealing with.
Tree Column. Images Courtesy of Blast Studio.
S: Your work is a form of biomimicry; nature-inspired innovation. What can we learn from nature when it comes to design?
PG: Nature is perfect. There is no waste in nature; the waste simply becomes a resource for another organism, which fascinates me. This circularity is what we at Blast have been heavily inspired by and are proposing for the urban landscape. Too often, people believe they are separate from nature, forgetting that the solution to many of our problems begins with nature. With our work, we’re exploring the potential of a genuine interconnectedness with nature and how this relationship can benefit both parties.
S: How do you use design to create a symbiosis between technology and nature?
PG: 3D printing is the main technological medium that gives us the possibility to create. For example, with our column pieces, we can work at both a human scale to propose architectural solutions and at a micro-scale to create a space for insects to nest. By bringing living organisms together with innovative technology, we’re proposing how we could create architecture that other species such as insects and fungi could inhabit and interact with to create living scaffolding.
S: You design both “artefact and architecture.” Does your approach to creating architecture differ from when you are creating artefacts? Are there some principles that overlap?
PG: There are definitely principles that overlap. While we see all of our works as connected, it’s important for us to acknowledge that different pieces require different materials. For architecture, we need something that is strong in order to deal with ranging weather conditions. We found some old clay in a building site across from our studio that we are working with to develop as an architectural material. With our smaller artefacts, which we consider prototypes for larger-scale projects, we work with household waste such as old coffee pods and cardboard to harvest mycelium, producing a new biomaterial. Although the materials differ with each project, our inspirations always come down to nature and how we can create a circular waste system.
Floating Tree Lamps. Image Courtesy of Blast Studio.
S: So as your pieces welcome insects and fungi as inhabitants, they are constantly growing and changing?
PG: Exactly. And with this growth, our pieces take on a responsibility in the ecosystem. We’re currently working on a project with One West Point in North Acton, a residential building that is composed of two towers. Using cardboard waste from the residents that live in the building, we are creating large columns for the interior space alongside external pieces for the garden area. The idea is that nature would take over the building through our columns, and this can only happen if our pieces are able to develop an ecosystem. Through this project, we’re thinking about how cities can integrate biodiversity into their structures to build a more sustainable urban environment.
S: You have an exhibition from 23rd to 25th September as part of the London Design Festival at your studio in Acton. Can you tell us more?
PG: We’re doing an open studio where people can visit to get an insight into our process and see our pieces up close. We’ll be showing our exploration of living organisms in architecture through a real-time creation using our 3D printer. Alongside a pop-up shop, where people can buy our lamps and tables, we’re planning a talk about our process to spread the word and hopefully inspire people.