Our Place in Materials

This thesis represents both a material investigation and an architectural vision. This investigation sought to explore and document practical methods available for creating starch bioplastic building components. Using readily available raw materials and simple tools, potential recipes for and applications of starch-based bioplastic were explored and recorded. Design solutions were explored through the architectural detail, seeking to imagine how biodegradability can become a generating idea for architectural expression. As changing climatic and environmental pressures continue to create unique challenges for architects and engineers, the unprecedented ability to design building materials from a fundamental level offers new opportunities for reducing our impact on this planet.