This coming Thursday, evening March 9, the Architectural Ecologies Lab will be on site at the @exploratorium for a pop-up exhibition “Materialities of Care,” showcasing faculty and student research into ecological habitats for more-than-humans. The event is organized as part of the Exploratorium’s Thursday night ‘After Dark’ series, in partnership with the @sfurbanfilmfest, which will be screening the Oscar-nominated documentary “All That Breathes” at the event. The exhibition will feature a live demo of our robotic ceramic 3D printer, which throughout the evening will be producing ceramic habitat components for a speculative Habitat Facade, developed with AEL research assistants Jared Elizares, Claire Leffler, and Conrad Scheepers. Also included will be physical prototypes of student and faculty research led by Adam Marcus, Margaret Ikeda, Evan Jones, Alex Schofield, and Negar Kalantar, exploring new approaches to biomaterials, multispecies habitats, 3d printed marine habitat substrates, and video and physical artifacts from the Buoyant Ecologies Float Lab and Presidio Oyster Reef projects. All are welcome— please join us 6-10pm! Registration required via the Exploratorium website (link in bio). #architecturalecologies #materialitiesofcare #ecologicaltectonics #buoyantecologies #nonhuman #morethanhuman #architecture #ecology #exhibition #sanfrancisco #exploratorium #afterdark

Underwater footage of ecological substrate prototype by students Ahmad Alajmi, Claire Leffler, and Colin Murdock, from the spring 2022 Ecological Tectonics seminar led by Adam Marcus and Alex Schofield. The class explored the potential for 3d printed ceramics to serve as habitats for plants and animals— these shingle-like tiles were deployed in San Francisco Bay for six months, successfully recruiting diverse species to the variable contoured surfaces. Thanks to Evan Jones @berkeleyjones for the terrific underwater footage. #architecturalecologies #ceramics #3dpotter #digitalceramics #dataclay #marineecology #sanfranciscobay #sanfrancisco

Full house in person and online at last night’s panel BIOMATERIALS: INDUSTRY AND ACADEMIA CONVERGENCE. This event, part of the Academic Alliance between CCA & Autodesk Technology Center, brought together designers, researchers, and industry professionals to investigate the potential of biomaterials to reduce embodied carbon in building components. Students and faculty at @cca_arch_div and @ucsf joined industry partners at @autodesk and Building Swell to discuss their ongoing research and how opportunities might emerge for developing methods of extruded fabrication of architectural components based on the microscopic biological systems of shell building. Presenters included: Margaret Ikeda, Associate Professor of Architecture and Architectural Ecologies Lab (AEL) co-director at CCA; Evan Jones, Adjunct Professor of Architecture and Architectural Ecologies Lab (AEL) co-director at CCA; Dr. Negar Kalantar, Associate Professor and Digital Craft Lab (DCL) co-director at CCA; Rick Rundell, Senior Director of the Autodesk Technology Centers; Dr. David Booth, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at UCSF; Jordan Easterling, Founder of Building Swell: A modern production platform and Autodesk Industry Resident; Arthur Harsuvanakit, Principal Research Scientist at Autodesk R&D group; Claire Leffler, CCA B.Arch student; Conrad Scheepers, CCA M.Arch student; Kimia Bam Farahnak, CCA MAAD student; Fredrick Leon, graduate student, Booth Lab at UCSF; Elizabeth Martinez-Bond, Ph.D candidate (Tetrad), Williams Lab at UCSF; and moderator Marina Rosolem (CCa B.Arch alumna). Thanks to all the participants and folks who attended! Stay tuned to see this research continue to develop for presentation at @biodesigned in New York City in June! #ccarts #californiacollegeofthearts #ccainteriordesign #ccaarchitecture #architecture #interiordesign #studio #sanfrancisco #artschool #imadethat #architectureschool #architecturestudent #architecturestudentblog #Chimeramade #architecturelecture #architecturelectureseries #architecturalecologies #biodesign #biomaterials

Join us this Thursday February 16 at 5 PM to 6:30 PM PST for BIOMATERIALS: INDUSTRY AND ACADEMIA CONVERGENCE. This event, part of the Academic Alliance between CCA & Autodesk Technology Center, brings together designers, researchers, and industry professionals to investigate the potential of biomaterials to reduce embodied carbon in building components. Students and faculty at CCA and UCSF will join industry partners at Autodesk and Building Swell to discuss their ongoing research and how opportunities might emerge for developing methods of extruded fabrication of architectural components based on the microscopic biological systems of shell building. Presenters include: Margaret Ikeda, Associate Professor of Architecture and Architectural Ecologies Lab (AEL) co-director at CCA; Evan Jones, Adjunct Professor of Architecture and Architectural Ecologies Lab (AEL) co-director at CCA; Dr. Negar Kalantar, Associate Professor and Digital Craft Lab (DCL) co-director at CCA; Rick Rundell, Senior Director of the Autodesk Technology Centers; Dr. Dyche Mullins, Chair and Professor of UCSF Cellular Molecular Pharmacology and director of Mullins Lab; Jordan Easterling, Founder of Building Swell: A modern production platform and Autodesk Industry Resident; Arthur Harsuvanakit, Principal Research Scientist at Autodesk R&D group; Claire Leffler, CCA B.Arch student; Conrad Scheepers, CCA M.Arch student; Kimia Bam Farahnak, CCA MAAD student; Fredrick Leon, graduate student, Booth Lab at UCSF; and Elizabeth Martinez-Bond, Ph.D candidate (Tetrad), Williams Lab at UCSF (@ucsf).” Register at the link in bio! Webcast also available via eventbrite signup. #ccarts #californiacollegeofthearts #ccainteriordesign #ccaarchitecture #architecture #interiordesign #studio #sanfrancisco #artschool #imadethat #architectureschool #architecturestudent #architecturestudentblog #Chimeramade #architecturelecture #architecturelectureseries #architecturalecologies #biodesign #biomaterials

This week the M.Arch Studio 2 “Systems + Environments” led by Adam Marcus and Margaret Ikeda visited the @presidiosf for a tour of their project site, the Presidio Nursery. The students are developing proposals for a Center for Ecological Stewardship that will house the nursery’s robust educational and volunteer programs. The visit included a terrific tour of the Nursery led by staff member Robin Binaoro, an introduction to the nursery’s rigorous processes of seed cultivation and stewardship, and a conversation with the nursery staff about future goals. The studio also visited the Presidio’s new Tunnel Tops Park and stopped by the Field Station to see the interactive exhibits on display there. Stay tuned for updates on this ongoing partnership between AEL and our friends at the Presidio! #presidiosf #presidio #sanfrancisco #presidionursery #architecturalecologies #ccaarchitecture #ccarts #architecturestudent

Congratulations to Margaret Ikeda, Evan Jones, their students, and their community partners on winning a 2023 Collaborative Practice Award from @acsanational for the research and community engagement initiative “Environmental Justice at Bayview-Hunters Point.” The series of integrated building design studios collaborated with fifth grade students at Malcolm X Academy @malcolmxacademysf and partners at @yplanberkeley, San Francisco Planning, and @sf_noma to amplify the environmental concerns of elementary school students through architectural speculations on ecological remediation and urban farming in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco.

Work by the AEL is featured in the recent book “Houses That Can Save The World,” by Courtenay Smith & Sean Topham, published by @thamesandhudson. The book features the Buoyant Ecologies Float Lab, as well as “Waterline,” a project designed by CCA B.Arch students Emma Luo @emmallens9 and Cera Yeo @cerayeo in the Buoyant Ecologies Maldives studio. #buoyantecologies #maldives #floatingarchitecture #architecturalecologies

Tomorrow, Saturday December 3 at @cca_arch_div: final conversations for the advanced studio “Materialities of Care: Domestic Entanglements Across Species.” The studio, led by Adam Marcus @radadam, explores notions of interspecies habitation. Students will be presenting proposals for a residential intervention in the dense suburbs along Alameda Creek in the East Bay. The work blends material research into earthen construction with speculative strategies of densifying and rewilding suburbia. Please feel free to stop by, 11a-1p and 2p-5p! #materialitiesofcare #domesticentanglements #architecturalecologies #ccaarchitecture #ccarts #architectureschool #architecture #finalreviews #architecturestudent #ecology #multispecies #suburbia #rammedearth #earthenconstruction #fremont #california

Today: loading the kilns with components designed and fabricated by students in the Ecological Tectonics seminar led by Adam Marcus @radadam. Students are designing modular 3d-printed ceramic systems that serve as habitats for a variety of plants and animals. Join us for final exhibition and conversations next Tuesday morning 12/6 in the @cca.digital.craft.lab! #ecologicaltectonics #architecturalecologies #ccarts #ccaarchitecture #ccaceramics #ceramics #clay #3dpotter #dataclay #digitalfabrication

Please join us this Thursday, November 3 at 6:00pm at @cca_arch_div @cacollegeofarts for a public lecture by lab directors Margaret Ikeda, Evan Jones, and Adam Marcus. We will be presenting work developed in first four years of the AEL, weaving together pedagogy, applied research, and public engagement. All are welcome! More info at link in profile. #architecturalecologies #ccaarchitecture #ccarts #architecture #ecology #sanfrancisco #california

This past weekend the Materialities of Care studio led by Adam Marcus @radadam toured the lower Alameda Creek watershed to explore the area’s ecosystem and urban context. The trip began at Niles Canyon, where the tributary transitions from a creek to an engineered flood control channel, and continued through the dense suburban context of Fremont and Union City all the way to its mouth where the channel empties into San Francisco Bay. The studio is siting its research in this challenging yet rich urban and ecological context, exploring ways to integrate multispecies habitation and increase ecological diversity. #materialitiesofcare #domesticentanglements #ccarts #ccaarchitecture #architectureschool #alamedacreek #fremont #california @cca_arch_div @cacollegeofarts

Earlier this semester Adam Marcus @radadam led a rammed earth fabrication workshop for students in the Materialities of Care studio. Students experimented with earth mixtures and ways to integrate digitally fabricated form liners into traditional earthen construction. This research into low-carbon construction techniques will continue throughout the fall as it informs architectural speculations on multispecies domesticities in the Bay Area. Photos 1-5 by Nick Bruno @lea_brun0. #materialitiesofcare #ecologicaltectonics #earth #rammedearth #digitalcraft #ccarts #ccaarchitecture #architecturalecologies #architectureschool #architecturestudent

Tomorrow, Thursday October 6: Join us for a talk by Cade Hayes @ch_dust and Jesús Robles @jr_dust of DUST @dust_architects, who will present their Tucson-based practice and compelling work with rammed earth construction. The talk is organized as part of the fall 2022 Materialities of Care studio led by Adam Marcus @radadam. The talk will be broadcast in person in the @cca.digital.craft.lab at 12:00pm for CCA students, and all are welcome to join via zoom (link on AEL website). #materialitiesofcare #ecologicaltectonics #earth #rammedearth #digitalcraft #ccarts #ccaarchitecture #architecturalecologies

Tomorrow, Tuesday October 4: Join us for a talk by Jonathan A. Scelsa @oparchland of @prattsoa, who will present his research into 3d printed modular ceramic habitats. The talk is organized as part of the fall 2022 Ecological Tectonics seminar led by Adam Marcus @radadam. The talk will be broadcast in person in the @cca.digital.craft.lab at 10:00am PST for CCA students, and all are welcome to join via zoom (link on AEL website). #materialitiesofcare #ecologicaltectonics #3dprinting #digitalcraft #ccarts #ccaarchitecture #architecturalecologies

Rethinking repair & rebuilding in Greenville, CA 🌲

Good afternoon from Greenville! 🌲 The @architecturalecologieslab is in Plumas County for the weekend, learning about material science & resilience in CA!

Tomorrow, Tuesday September 27: Join us for a talk by Sandy Curth @sandycurth of @mitarchitecture, who will present his research into 3d printing low carbon materials. The talk is organized as part of the fall 2022 Ecological Tectonics seminar led by Adam Marcus @radadam. The talk will be broadcast in person in the @cca.digital.craft.lab at 10:00am PST for CCA students, and all are welcome to join via zoom (link on AEL website). #materialitiesofcare #ecologicaltectonics #3dprinting #digitalcraft #ccarts #ccaarchitecture #architecturalecologies

Tomorrow, Thursday September 22: Join us for a talk by Lola Ben-Alon of @gsappnml @columbiagsapp, who will present her innovative research into earthen building technologies. The talk is organized as part of the fall 2022 Materialities of Care studio led by Adam Marcus @radadam. The talk will be broadcast in person in the @cca.digital.craft.lab at 12:00pm for CCA students, and all are welcome to join via zoom (link on AEL website). #materialitiesofcare #ecologicaltectonics #earth #rammedearth #digitalcraft #ccarts #ccaarchitecture #architecturalecologies

Last week AEL faculty Chris Falliers, Margaret Ikeda, Evan Jones, Adam Marcus, and Leslie Carol Roberts visited the new Field Station at Presidio Tunnel Tops Park, a beautiful new youth education center built as part of the Presidio’s incredible new park. The team met with partners from @presidiosf and @parksconservancy to learn about the center and brainstorm possible future collaborations. Both organizations along with @goldengatenps have been close partners with the lab on both the Presidio Reef restoration project (a substrate prototype from this research is included in the Field Station exhibit) and the Ecopoesis project exploring new modes climate discourse. Thank you to our friends Damien Raffa and Kate Bickert for the tour!! #tunneltops #presidio #sanfrancisco #california #fieldstation #architecturalecologies #ccarts #ccaarchitecture

This summer, research by AEL faculty and students was featured in the “Tools for a Warming Planet” exhibition, part of the show “La Irrupció” which was organized for the 2022 International Symposium on Electronic Art @isea2022bcn in Barcelona. The exhibition, installed at @centredartssantamonica, featured a collection of speculative and scientific field tools for environmental exploration in the Anthropocene. AEL research in the show included the Ecopoesis Dome, the Living Data Pod project, and the Public Sediment project. Following its run in Barcelona, the show has traveled to Linz, Austria for this year’s @arselectronica festival, which opens this week. Thanks to curators Beth Ferguson @bethjferguson, Sara Dean @saraedean, and Marina Monsonís for including this work! @toolsforawarmingplanet #toolsforawarmingplanet #architecturalecologies #ccaarchitecture #ccarts #barcelona #linz