Biohm is a research and development led company that aims to promote a healthier and more sustainable built environment. Their philosophy is to allow nature to lead innovation and create systems that benefit the human, the environment and the economy. Caracara’s collaboration with Biohm started in the summer of 2017, when Aleksi met the company’s founder Ehab Sayed while exhibiting his work on materials made from orange peel and mycelium. He joined Biohm as Material Development Manager, bringing his knowledge to form the back-bone of Biohm’s bio-based materials. This page shows a range of expressive works that Aleksi made for Biohm to showcase these materials. Read what the Observer wrote about their material research here.
Triagomy
This artwork shows how peel can be used aesthetically in a similar way to ceramic tiling. The graphic is designed by Ehab Sayed, mimicking the design of Biohm’s radical construction system. Learn more about Triagomy here.
Rise
Biohm took part in an exhibition called Idea of North at the BALTIC Centre of Contemporary Art in Newcastle, UK. They provided two triangles to be featured in a large geodesic dome installation curated by MaterialDriven. Rise is a large peel-based artwork influenced by islamic geometry, while making a reference to the iconic Angel of the North sculpture. The second triangle was grown from mycelium on various agricultural waste substrates, demonstrating the potential for the material to be used as insulation panels. The works were exhibited May - September 2018 at the BALTIC.
Photos by MaterialDriven, Biohm and Caracara
Orb Tiles
Orb (organic refuse biocompound) is Biohm’s new sustainable material to be used in construction. Orb is 100% natural, biodegradable and vegan and can for example be used to make beautiful tiles for interiors. These samples are made from a variety of tea leaves and coffee grounds collected around Helsinki’s cafeterias. The geometric patterns are designed by Ehab Sayed of Biohm.
Some of this work was exhibited at Biohm’s stand at the Materials for Architecture exhibition at ILEC Conference Centre in London, 25-26 April 2018.
Mycelium materials
These blocks were grown for Biohm for their exhibit at the UK Consctruction Week in October 2017. Almost a year later, in September 2018, BBC 4 filmed one of these samples while testing it for its fire-resistance. It was impossible to burn the piece because mycelium is self-extinguishing! See the clip here.
These acoustic wall panels were grown into the shape of Biohm’s trademark construction system Triagomy. The material was grown in 2-3 weeks using a range of organic matter such as wood chip, straw and waste cardboard as the mycelium’s feeding substrate. The photos are taken by Biohm.
For the London Design Festival 2018, Biohm collaborated with Nir Meiri Studio to grow mycelium lights, where the mycelium is used as a reflector to create warm and natural light. Read what Dezeen wrote about the project here. The images are by Biohm and Nir Meiri Studio.
