The Architects’ Journal Architecture News & Buildings
About
Location Plymouth | ARB/RIBA courses BA (Hons) Architecture, MArch Architecture | Head of school Simon Standing | Full-time tutors 12 | Part-time tutors 22 | Students 358 | Staff to student ratio 1:11 | Bursaries available No
Postgraduate
Lucas Voss
Course MArch Architecture
Studio/unit brief Rainforest Encounters
Project title Physarum Polycephalum
Project description Nature is leveraged in this project’s design process to drive an agenda of greater environmental awareness and stewardship. Using the intelligence of slime mould, the project explores a form of computation that enables materials to self-organise and solve structural stability issues analogously. The masterplan’s programme integrates stewardship into daily life by connecting objects, architectures and technical expressions to memory. The resulting built environment will keep individuals attuned to local climate data by encouraging a muscle memory response to environmental changes – motivating people to reduce their carbon footprints. It uses biological artificial intelligence to explore alternative architectural practices – specifically slime mould – developing methodologies to apply these to building processes.
Tutor citation Lucas’s project exemplifies innovative thinking, ecological awareness and a future-oriented brief. It stands out for its blend of education, awareness and stewardship. Mathew Emmett
