Architectural materials emerge through networks of extraction, cultivation, labor, fabrication, and climate. As designers seek alternatives to carbon-intensive construction, how might materials transform not only what architecture is made of, but how it is researched and produced? This seminar approaches material innovation as both technical inquiry and public making. Through readings, experimentation, computational design, and digital fabrication, students will investigate natural, bio-based, and waste-derived materials, examining their provenance, behavior, and architectural potential. Students will develop independent research and maintain individual authorship while contributing to a collective architectural proposition for “Pioneering Biomaterials 2027: At Scale”. Outcomes may include modular systems, full-scale mock-ups, or artifacts of process. Through critical documentation and collective decision-making, the exhibition and work of this seminar becomes a public platform for exploring relationships among materials, environments, technologies, and communities.

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