MICHAEL PAWLYN
2014
Photography, Giclée Hahnemühle Photo Rag
framed 11" x 13.5" (340mm x 280mm)
 
This project explored the possibility of growing a small auditorium using Biorock technology. By passing a very low electrical current (perfectly safe for marine life) through a thin steel frame in seawater, it is possible to achieve electrodeposition of minerals (mainly calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide) on to the metal so that it can achieve similar strength to reinforced concrete. The form is derived partly from the curved, ribbed shape of marine molluscs and partly from the stepped form of the auditorium.
 
Exploration Architecture (Team: Adam Holloway and Michael Pawlyn), Photography by Kelly Hill
 
Michael Pawlyn is an architect, writer and public speaker with an expertise in regenerative design and biomimicry. His design practice Exploration Architecture has developed a range of transformative projects including a ground-breaking office, a zero waste textiles factory and the widely acclaimed Sahara Forest Project. His TED talk has had over 2 million views. He has written two books: Flourish: Design Paradigms for Our Planetary Emergency (co-authored with Sarah Ichioka) and Biomimicry in Architecture. In 2019 he jointly initiated ‘Architects Declare a Climate and Biodiversity Emergency’.
 
Kelly Hill is a photographer, curator and artist. She works closely with the Architect, Michael Pawlyn on the production of creative content for exhibition, film, publication and online, including Flourish (Pawlyn & Ichioka), Buey’s Acorns (Ackroyd & Harvey), Future Knowledge (Modern Art Oxford) and Designing with Nature (The Architecture Foundation). Using the medium of photography, drawing, walking, making and installation, Kelly investigates what it is to be a part of nature, and how one establishes a reciprocal relationship with it. Examining how this relationship shifts - metaphorically, politically, and climatically.