DEVELOPING A BIO-DIGITAL CRAFT
Our patent pending biotechnology lies in the development of bio-digitally crafted products, and material systems. We have developed pioneering interdisciplinary workflows that integrate microbiology in tandem with additive manufacturing and computational design methods which allow for high levels of customization at both the material, form and scale. We 3D print and robotically biofabricate materials for the innovative fields of: living design, grown-design, biological pigments, bio-based and biodegradable materials.
Minimizing energy and waste are foundational principles of our biofabrication practice, to enhance circularity, and ecological intelligence of the design process. Our approach emphasizes material stewardship, understanding the full lifecycle of materials and designing systems that optimize yield, regenerate value, and reduce environmental impact. Our material formulation and upcycling process eliminates the need for virgin material extraction and gives second life to materials that would otherwise enter landfill or incineration cycles.
We cultivate in-situ and manipulate living cells from soil and aquatic environments such as fungi, algae, lichens and bacteria 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 registered 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 60 peer-reviewed publications and a curatorial portfolio of symposia and exhibitions focused on living materials, bio-digital craft, data-driven responsive design and (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 Festival, among many 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). She holds a BA(Hons) Architectyre degree from Lusiada University and MSc and MPhil in Architecture from The Bartlett School of Architecture UCL.
Frank Melendez
Frank is an American 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