From Sand to Structure: Investigating Biopolymer-Bound Materials for Sustainable Architecture

By Eda Begum Birol

Terrene 4.0 investigates structural biomaterials, specifically biopolymer-bound silica sand composites for use in architectural applications. While a promising alternative to high-carbon and high-energy construction materials such as concrete, ecologically benign biopolymers lack robust, long-term data on their weathering performance, hygrothermal aging, and mechanical property retention under environmental stressors. This project merges the biomaterial expertise of the DumoLab Research with the analytical capabilities and material preservation knowledge of the Architectural Conservation Lab to address critical gaps in understanding the long-term performance and durability of biological composites. Within the Architectural Conservation Lab (ACL), we conduct and analyze accelerated weathering, water absorption, imaging, and spectrophotometry tests on Terrene samples, both with and without natural coatings.

SEM imaging results was performed at the Singh Center for Nanotechnology at the University of Pennsylvania
PURM Undergraduate Researchers Sophia Wang (B.A. Architecture ’28) and Phoebe Anagos (B.A Architecture ’28) conducting imaging with the lab’s Zeiss Stemi 305 optical stereoscopes.

Ran by interdisciplinary architect Dr. Laia Mogas-Soldevila, the DumoLab translates biomaterial systems from biomedical engineering, life sciences, and vernacular architecture into everyday products and structures that support health during processing, use, and end of life. Terrene 4.0 research team is led by interdisciplinary designer and PhD student Eda Begum Birol (PhD ARCH ‘30) and consists of Siqi Zhao (MSHP ’25), visiting scholar Aaron Dorand (BIOMIMETICS ’26), and PURM students Phoebe Anagos (ARCH ’28) and Sophia Wang (ARCH ’20).

Acknowledgements:

Included SEM imaging results was performed at the Singh Center for Nanotechnology at the University of Pennsylvania, a member of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) network, which is supported by the National Science Foundation (Grant NNCI-1542153) and through the use of facilities supported by the University of Pennsylvania Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) DMR-2309043.