FAB:REcology--Building on Natural Principles

The cellular structure of a bone or microscopic images of a butterfly wing are the types of natural structures that Neri Oxman studies then translates into 21st century construction materials and processes. This architect, artist, and Media Lab PhD student regularly crosses the boundaries of the biological world, material structures, and geometry.

And there's lots of buzz about her work. Just named to Fast Company's '100 Most Creative People in Business'. Art works displayed at MoMA, the International Biennial of Contemporary Art in Seville, and the 2008 Beijing Biennial. Won multiple awards including the Earth Award for Future Crucial Design where a video, FAB.REcology, describes her goals. One project is a new version of the rapid prototyping 3-D printers used to replicate objects whose texture and resilience vary across the object.

Learn more on her blog at materialecology, her interdisciplinary research initiative focusing on design at the intersection of architecture, engineering, computation, and ecology.