Project 1： Bio-silicification

PROJECT 1

BIO-SILICIFICATION BiotA Lab R.C. 7 March Architecture Design (AD) The Bartlett School Of Architecture

Jian ZHOU

SPECIAL THANK Prof. Cruz, Marcos / UCL Bartlett Beckett, Richard / UCL Bartlett DR. Leung, Christopher / UCL Bartlett Javier Ruizz / UCL Bartlett

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

RESEARCH OF BIOSILICIFICATION

Introduction of Biosilicification Site Biosilicification process Diversity of formation

Chapter 2

2 DESIGNS OF BIOSILICIFICATION

First design: Single cell sinter Second design: Bacteria sinter

Chapter 3 APPLICATION DESIGN

Control variable of biosilicification Growing Textures Products Reference

Chapter 1 RESEARCH OF BIOSILICIFICATION

silica deposit. Image from: https://www.nps.gov

Bio-silicification is the formation of complexes containing inorganic materials by living organisms (Otzen, 2012).

In this process, thermophiles play an important role on contributing amorphous silica precipitation in geothermal hot-spring environments such as Hot springs, New Zealand and yellow stone national park, USA. The silica deposition is fascinating formation.

It is an interaction bewteen environment and organisms' behaviour.

SITE

Typically, biosilicification requires thermophilic bacteria who need to alive in extremely high tempature environment to play an important role in this process. And Hot springs in New Zealand and Yellow stone national park, USA provides suitable conditions (temperatures above 70 degrees) and rich raw material of this process (amorphous silicon) in hot springs, so that is why silica sinters are normal in such sites.

Yellow stone national park. Image from: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com Hot springs, New Zealand. Image from http://www.listupon.com

THE PROCESS OF BIOSILICIFICATION BYTHERMOPHILIC ORGANISM CELL

A

B

Silicified microbes from the New Zealand geothermal hot springs. (A) Transmission electron micrograph of silicified micro-organisms from the Wairakei Geothermal Field; bar, 1 ¾m. (B) Transmission electron micrograph of fully silicified micro-organism from the Wairakei Geothermal Field; bar, 500 nm. Note the small (30–200 nm) silica particles that form aggregates on the surface of the bacterial sheath.

Image from: P134 Biosilicification: the role of cyanobacteria in silica sinter deposition

Silica colloids accumulate on sheath's outer surface

Silica colloids in external milieu

THE PROCESS OF THERMOPHILIC ORGANISM CELL SILICIFICATION

silica assemblage (cell alive)

thermopilic bacteria produce mucus to attach silica

THE ROLE OF THERMOPILIC BACTERIA IN BIOSILICIFICATION

thermopilic bacteria attaching silica form sediment layer by layer

final biosilicification product

LIFE EXPANDENCE OF

THERMOPILIC BACTERIA

continue silica assemblage (cell still alive)

continued silicification leads to cell death, lysis and finally fossilizaton

Diversity of formation

The deposition of silica is fascinating in many ways. At the purely visual level, silicification leads to an exquisitely beautiful outcome.

-- Daniel Otzen,2012

silica deposit, yellow stone. Image from: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com silica deposit in New Zealand. Image from http://www.listupon.com

Chapter 2 2 DESIGNS OF BIOSILICIFICATION

DESIGN 1. SINGLE CELL BIOSILICIFICATION

The deposition of silica is controlled by thermophilic bacteria. This process shows single cell assemblage. Cells could release mucus on the surface, and select silicon in the solution or hot spring water full of silica, then attaching them on the facade. The most interesting thing is, during the process, cells are alive, however, when the silica cover whole surface, because of no light could through silica cover, so cells would die finally but finish fossolization 'task'.

DESIGN 2. BACTERIA BIOSILICIFICATION

main body grow with silicified

attach silica on the surface

GROWING AND ASSEMBLAGE PROCESS

FRAME 10

FRAME 50

FRAME 90

FRAME 210

FRAME 250

FRAME 290

FRAME 110

FRAME 150

FRAME 190

FRAME 310

FRAME 350

FRAME 390

Chapter 3

APPLICATION DESIGN OF BIOSILICIFICATION

Image from: http://www.earthsciences.hku.hk

CONTROL VARIABLE OF BIOSILICIFICATION

water flow

temprature 30-100 ℃

high supersaturated silica solutions > 300ppm

CONTROL WATER FLOW AS ONLY VARIABLE IN DESIGN

water flow

water flow

water flow

water flow

water flow

DESIGN GROWING

Under controling water flow, it would easy to get design formation following external force. This is an idea from biosilicification, which is interactive between biomicros and environment force, such as water, liquid, wind and so on.

FRAM 3

FRAM 6

FRAM 9

FRAM 11

FRAM 14

FRAM 17

FRAM 20

FRAM 23

FRAM 29

FRAM 33

FRAM 34

FRAM 38

POSSIBILITIES OF TEXTURES

As the design product mainly is composed by silica. So the facade have four silica sedimental feathers, reflection, bumbs, some transparency, biology. Thus, The surface of products would be smooth and reflect as glaze.

Glaze

Clay

Glass

Organic

No.1 Bio-stool A

No.2 Bio-stool B

No.4 Bio-stool C, DOUOBLE SIZE

VARIOUS FORMATIONS IN ONE PROCESS

NO.3 Bio-lounge

FACILITY DESIGN IN PARK SPECIAL FOR CHINESE ELDER PEOPLE Nomarlly, Chinese elder people have special morning exercise to help them keep health. They will use their back or hands to hit barks because there are bumbs on these three surface. Chinese elder people believe that these bumbs would help them massage points on their body by hitting tree. However, this methord would hurt tree obviously and also will hurt elder people themselves, since raw barks would hurt them skin.

So this is design is specacial for chinese elder people doing morning exercise. Bumbs on this design are sintered by silica, so they are smooth, which would protect elder people's skin when they are hitting the facility. At the same time, it would protect trees from hitting.

Reference List Daniel Otzen, 2012, “The role of proteins in biosilicification,” Nature, vol.413, no. 6853, pp.

152.

Reysenbach, A.-L., Voytek, M. and Mancinelli, R. (eds.) (2001) Thermophiles: Biodiversity, ecology, and evolution. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

Braunstein , D. and Donald R, L. (2003) “Microstructure of high-temperature (>73 C) siliceous sinter deposited around hot springs and geysers, Yellowstone National Park: the role of biological and abiological processes in sedimentation,” Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 40, 11, (ISSN: 0008-4077), pp. 1611–1642.

Glass texture, image from: http://img12.deviantart.net/97cf/i/2012/132/3/b/glass_texture_by_ aquabubbleburst-d4ziin0.jpg Gloze texture, image from: http://www.mayang.com/textures/Manmade/images/Pottery%20and%20 Ceramic/glazed_pottery_cracked_3200126.JPG Organic texture, image fromhttps://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/02/ee/91/02ee91835d69f3060 6f292d664119d1d.jpg Sinter stone, image fromhttp://www.earthsciences.hku.hk/shmuseum/testing/image/earth_mat/2-2/ groundwater/Tufa%20SR159_large.JPG Layer stone, image fromhttps://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/7b/cb/bc/7bcbbc5b4ae08a76 eec843d7f81254be.jpg Water, impage from: https://u.jimcdn.com/www400/o/s0a7764aa9e73d6ad/userlayout/img/bodybg. jpg?t=1391618619 silica deposit, yellow stone. Image from: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com silica deposit in New Zealand. Image from http://www.listupon.com Cell SEM, Image from: P134 Biosilicification: the role of cyanobacteria in silica sinter deposition Yellow stone national park. Image from: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com Hot springs, New Zealand. Image from http://www.listupon.com silica deposit. Image from: https://www.nps.gov