Three credited student proposals investigate mycelium, bamboo-reinforced clay, and lunar regolith. They are design research proposals, not built systems. View evidence ↓
ARCH 7330: New Materials and Methods Research is a graduate seminar in Penn’s Master of Science in Design-Advanced Architectural Design program taught in Spring 2024. I served as Teaching Fellow, delivering lectures, leading discussion panels, and mentoring graduate students through project ideation and production.
Student teams first researched a material’s properties, fabrication methods, and architectural precedents, then proposed a material system with a manufacturing process, site, and use. Two summary panels and a short academic paper documented each study and prepared students for the MSD-AAD Summer Studio.
Myco-Shell Pavilion
A study of mycelium-based composites leads to a pavilion proposal combining a rod framework, fabric, a printed substrate, and mycelium growth. The board connects fabrication precedents and material properties to an exploded assembly and a proposed lattice-supported shell.
Bamboo + Paste
The team investigates bamboo fibers as reinforcement for clay-based printing pastes. Research on fiber preparation, bonding, and printable mixtures informs a proposed mixing nozzle, robotic deposition process, and architectural shell with roof openings.
Lunar Regolith Building System
A comparison of lunar construction conditions and regolith fabrication methods informs a modular habitat proposal. Inflatable membranes support the regolith shell; the diagrams trace packing, deployment, inflation, assembly, and reuse in a larger settlement.
