Self-organised Embellishment of 3D Printed Scaffolds for the Production of Co-occupied Architectural Boundaries

We report upon a speculative architectural design project that investigates a hybrid construction method in which computationally designed 3D printed scaffolds are embellished by the self-organised construction of social insects - specifically bees. The project aims to explore how to couple processes of designed construction with those of self-organised construction, thereby leveraging the potential for an architecture to exhibit continual adaptation through construction. The project develops through digital and physical experimentation to establish critical design, fabrication and performance criteria. We briefly describe experiments and results related to the two modes of construction - 3D printing and self-organised deposition of honeycomb. We also describe the computationally led design workflow that incorporates the consideration of structural performance. Finally, we outline further work suggested from this initial enquiry.