Bioreceptive Building Materials for Urban Ecology

Authors

  • Shaista Parveen

    1 Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology Bannu, Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 28100, Pakistan

  • Muhammad Tariq *

    2 Department of Chemistry, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Sheringal Dir Upper, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 18050, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55121/nefm.v2i1.856

Keywords:

Bioreceptive Materials, Urban Ecology, Sustainable Architecture, Concrete Colonization, Biodiversity

Abstract

Bioreceptive building materials represent an emerging intersection of architecture, ecology, and materials science in which surfaces are intentionally designed to encourage colonization by microorganisms, mosses, lichens, and other organisms. Compared to traditional strategies of seeing biological growth as an act of degradation, the bioreceptive design is changing the concept of colonization to be a form of ecological provision. This review follows the intellectual lineage of bioreceptivity and how the concepts have been developed bioreceptivity is an extension of colonization receptivity, which is premised on chemical, physical and environmental factors influencing material receptivity to colonization. It takes an inventory of diverse classes of materials--literally modified concretes, ceramics, bio-based composites, and treated surfaces--with an emphasis on how each can be tuned to support biological communities. Ecological roles of such materials are as diverse as sustaining biodiversity and enhancing air quality; moderating microclimates; and carbon sequestration to augment the larger-scale green infrastructure. Concurrently, the discipline has major issues such as technical longevity, esthetics acceptability, environmental hazards and absence of standardized laboratory procedures. In prospect, the creation of multi-functional, sustainable, and digital optimized materials provides interesting lines of development. In this way, bioreceptive building materials open up a new prospect of ecologically more congruent cities where buildings are seen not as a passive framework, but as a colonizer of urban ecosystems.

References

[1] Cruz, M., Beckett, R., 2016. Bioreceptive Design: A Novel Approach to Biodigital Materiality. Architectural Research Quarterly. 20(1), 51–64. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1359135516000130

[2] Beyer, B., 2019. Between Duck and Tree: Metabolism-Informed Composite Tectonics [PhD thesis]. Royal College of Art: London, UK. pp. 1–317.

[3] Sanmartín, P., Miller, A.Z., Prieto, B., et al., 2021. Revisiting and Reanalysing the Concept of Bioreceptivity 25 Years On. Science of the Total Environment. 770, 145314. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145314

[4] Spangler, K., 2021. Bryophyte Ecosystem Services: How Bryophytes Impact Ecosystem Processes and Their Use in Urban Systems [Bachelor’s thesis]. Portland State University: Portland, OR, USA. pp. 1–317.

[5] Zedda, L., Rambold, G., 2015. The Diversity of Lichenised Fungi: Ecosystem Functions and Ecosystem Services. In: Upreti, D.K., Divakar, P.K., Shukla, V., et al. (eds.). Recent Advances in Lichenology: Modern Methods and Approaches in Lichen Systematics and Culture Techniques, Volume 2. Springer: New Delhi, India. pp. 121–145.

[6] Săndulescu, R., Tertiş, M., Cristea, C., et al., 2015. New Materials for the Construction of Electrochemical Biosensors: Micro and Nanoscale Applications. Elsevier: Amsterdam, Netherlands. 1, 1–36. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5772/60510

[7] Liu, X., Qian, Y., Wu, F., et al., 2022. Biofilms on Stone Monuments: Biodeterioration or Bioprotection? Trends in Microbiology. 30(9), 816–819. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2022.05.012

[8] Bone, J.R., Stafford, R., Hall, A.E., et al., 2022. The Intrinsic Primary Bioreceptivity of Concrete in the Coastal Environment – A Review. Developments in the Built Environment. 10, 100078. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dibe.2022.100078

[9] Jang, K.M., 2020. Moss on Rocks: Evaluating Biodeterioration and Bioprotection of Bryophytic Growth on Stone Masonry [Master’s thesis]. University of Oxford: Oxford, UK. pp. 1−165.

[10] Vázquez-Nion, D., Silva, B., Prieto, B., 2018. Bioreceptivity Index for Granitic Rocks Used as Construction Material. Science of the Total Environment. 633, 112–121. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.03.171

[11] Bissett, A., Brown, M.V., Siciliano, S.D., et al., 2013. Microbial Community Responses to Anthropogenically Induced Environmental Change: Towards a Systems Approach. Ecology Letters. 16, 128–139. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12109

[12] Odum, H.T., 2003. Material Circulation, Energy Hierarchy, and Building Construction. Construction Ecology. Routledge: London, UK. pp. 61–95.

[13] Guillitte, O., Dreesen, R., 1995. Laboratory Chamber Studies and Petrographical Analysis as Bioreceptivity Assessment Tools of Building Materials. Science of the Total Environment. 167(1–3), 365–374. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0048-9697(95)04596-S

[14] Robinson, J.M., Watkins, H., Man, I., et al., 2021. Microbiome-Inspired Green Infrastructure: A Bioscience Roadmap for Urban Ecosystem Health. Arq: Architectural Research Quarterly. 25(4), 292–303. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1359135522000148

[15] Manso, S., Calvo-Torras, M.Á., De Belie, N., et al., 2015. Evaluation of Natural Colonisation of Cementitious Materials: Effect of Bioreceptivity and Environmental Conditions. Science of the Total Environment. 512, 444–453. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.01.086

[16] Mustafa, K.F., Prieto, A., Ottele, M., 2021. The Role of Geometry on a Self-Sustaining Bio-Receptive Concrete Panel for Facade Application. Sustainability. 13(13), 7453. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137453

[17] Kinuthia, J.M., 2020. Unfired Clay Materials and Construction. In: Ashour, T., Korjenic, A. (eds.). Nonconventional and Vernacular Construction Materials. Woodhead Publishing: New Delhi, India. pp. 351–373.

[18] Vaughn, S.F., Byars, J.A., Jackson, M.A., et al., 2021. Tomato Seed Germination and Transplant Growth in a Commercial Potting Substrate Amended with Nutrient-Preconditioned Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) wood Biochar. Scientia Horticulturae. 280, 109947. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2021.109947

[19] Girardello, M., Santangeli, A., Mori, E., et al., 2019. Global Synergies and Trade-Offs Between Multiple Dimensions of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Scientific Reports. 9(1), 5636. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-41342-7

[20] Pedersen Zari, M., 2020. Biomimetic Urban and Architectural Design: Illustrating and Leveraging Relationships Between Ecosystem Services. Biomimetics. 6(1), 2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics6010002

[21] Schwarz, N., Hoffmann, F., Knapp, S., et al., 2020. Synergies or Trade-Offs? Optimizing a Virtual Urban Region to Foster Plant Species Richness, Climate Regulation, and Compactness Under Varying Landscape Composition. Frontiers in Environmental Science. 8, 16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2020.00016

[22] Jim, C.Y., Chen, W.Y., 2011. Bioreceptivity of Buildings for Spontaneous Arboreal Flora in Compact City Environment. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. 10(1), 19–28. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2010.11.001

[23] Hayek, M., Salgues, M., Souche, J.C., et al., 2022. From Concretes to Bioreceptive Concretes: Influence of Concrete Properties on the Biological Colonization of Marine Artificial Structures. In Proceedings of the MARINEFF International Conference: From Materials and Infrastructures to Marine Ecosystem - Interactions and New Approaches, France, Paris, 3−5 May 2022; pp. 1−10.

[24] Singleton, I., 1994. Microbial Metabolism of Xenobiotics: Fundamental and Applied Research. Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology: International Research in Process, Environmental and Clean Technology. 59(1), 9–23. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jctb.280590104

[25] Díaz, E., 2004. Bacterial Degradation of Aromatic Pollutants: A Paradigm of Metabolic Versatility. 7(3), 173–180.

[26] Yang, F., Chen, L., 2020. High-Rise Urban Form and Microclimate. Springer: Singapore. pp. 1–211.

[27] Manso, S., De Muynck, W., Segura, I., et al., 2014. Bioreceptivity Evaluation of Cementitious Materials Designed to Stimulate Biological Growth. Science of the Total Environment. 481, 232–241. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.02.059

[28] Heymans, A., Breadsell, J., Morrison, G.M., et al., 2019. Ecological Urban Planning and Design: A Systematic Literature Review. Sustainability. 11(13), 3723. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su11133723

[29] Mahrous, R., Giancola, E., Osman, A., et al., 2022. Review of Key Factors That Affect the Implementation of Bio-Receptive Façades in a Hot Arid Climate: Case Study North Egypt. Building and Environment. 214, 108920. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.108920

[30] Hebel, D.E., Heisel, F., 2017. Cultivated Building Materials: Industrialized Natural Resources for Architecture and Construction. Birkhäuser: Basel, Switzerland. pp. 1–184.

[31] Graham, P., 2009. Building Ecology: First Principles for a Sustainable Built Environment. John Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, NJ, USA. pp. 1–320.

[32] Scruton, R., 2021. The Aesthetics of Architecture. Princeton University Press: Princeton, NJ, USA. pp. 1–320.

[33] Adams, W.B., Mulligan, M., 2012. Decolonizing Nature: Strategies for Conservation in a Post-Colonial Era. Routledge: London, UK. pp. 1–308.

[34] Miller, A., Dionísio, A., Macedo, M.F., 2006. Primary Bioreceptivity: A Comparative Study of Different Portuguese Lithotypes. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation. 57(2), 136–142. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibiod.2006.01.003

Downloads

How to Cite

Parveen, S., & Tariq, M. (2023). Bioreceptive Building Materials for Urban Ecology. New Environmentally-Friendly Materials, 2(1), 41–55. https://doi.org/10.55121/nefm.v2i1.856

Issue

Section

Article