DEVELOPING A BIO-DIGITAL CRAFT

bioMATTERS is a biodesign studio based both in New York City and London. Our expertise lies in the development of bio-digitally crafted products, and architectural material systems. We 3D print and robotically biofabricate materials for the innovative fields of living design, grown-designed, biological pigments, bio-based and biodegradable materials. ⁠Our mission is to make products with new methods in the face of natural resources depletion, changing scales of manufacturing, and resource movements that are resulting from the increasingly negative impacts of the environmental and ecological crisis.

We have developed pioneering interdisciplinary workflows that integrate biological systems in tandem with additive manufacturing and computational design methods. Our products are made from upcycled waste materials and there is minimal waste involved in the biofabrication process.

We cultivate and manipulate living cells from soil and aquatic environments such as mycelium, lichens, bacteria, and algae strains. We have developed techniques and protocols that allow us to propagate these living cells and colonize them in substrates and scale them up into various customized biocomposite materials. Additionally we have developed a palette of living-based pigments to add colour to some of our biomaterials.

We have been supported by numerous organizations, namely Center Rog+Museum of Architecture Ljubljana Slovenia; ‘Makers with a Mission’ at Makerversity, Somerset House; NEW INC New Museum New York Incubator and Futureworks NYC Incubator.

TEAM

Nancy Diniz

Nancy Diniz is a Portuguese-American architect and educator with a background in Architecture and Computational Design. She is the co-founder and partner of bioMATTERS, and serves as Course Leader of the MA Biodesign at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. Her work explores the intersection of design, biology, and digital technologies, with over 40 peer-reviewed publications and a curatorial portfolio of symposia and exhibitions focused on living materials, bio-digital craft, data-driven design, interactive media, and immersive technologies (VR/AR). Nancy’s work has been exhibited internationally, including at Lisbon Architecture Triennale, Venice Architecture Biennale (GAA Foundation), NYCxDESIGN, Kevin McCloud’s Green Heroes at Grand Designs Live, London Design Week, and Istanbul Design Biennial, among others. She is the recipient of numerous grants, fellowships and residences, including The Architectural League NY Independent Project Grant 2016 and 2024, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Museum of Architecture and Design + Center Rog Ljubljana, Makers with a Mission at Somerset House, NEW INC (NY), FutureWorks NYC, MacDowell Colony, Seoul Art Space Geumcheon, EYEBEAM and Foundation of Science and Technology Portugal. She is co-editor of the book Data, Matter, Design: Strategies in Computational Design (Routledge, 2020), and editor of Bio-Calibrated: Tools and Techniques of Biodesign Practices (Research Directions: Biotechnology Design, Cambridge University Press Assessment, 2023).

Frank Melendez

Frank is an architectural designer, educator, and researcher. He is co-founder and partner at bioMATTERS, LLC and a tenured Associate Professor at the Spitzer School of Architecture, City College of New York (CCNY), City University of New York (CUNY). Frank has previously held teaching positions at Carnegie Mellon University, Louisiana State University and Yale University. His practice, teaching, and research engage topics pertaining to architectural representation, biomaterials, ecology, computational design, digital fabrication, physical computing, and robotics. Frank is the author of Drawing from the Model (Wiley, 2019) and co-editor of Data, Matter, Design (Routledge, 2020). His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally at various venues including London Design Festival, Usagi Gallery New York, Calico Gallery New York, Lisbon Architecture Triennale, and Open Cell London. He has curated and organized symposia and exhibitions including rE-Ordering Architecture, New York, NY and DATA & MATTER, Venice, Italy. Frank has been awarded grants, residencies, and memberships including Haystack Mountain School of Craft, Museum of Architecture and Design + Center Rog Ljubljana, ‘Makers with a Mission’ Somerset House, the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA)/ Van Alen Institute, Nature Art & Habitat Residency (NAHR), MacDowell, and NEW INC. His professional practice experience includes working at Frank O. Gehry & Associates. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Arizona and a Master of Architecture degree from Yale University.

Photo Credits: Luka Karlin MAO+Center Rog