62-715 Shaping Environments: Biomatter
9–12 units, Carnegie Mellon University
Shaping Environments is a design-research seminar that explores natural and waste-stream-derived material formations beyond our current petrochemical reality. Situated at the intersection of matter, environment, form, and digital fabrication, the course develops new techno-ecological imaginaries through the design of material recipes and prototypes. Using digital and computational workflows—including photogrammetry, depth-map texture modeling, AI-assisted processes, and 3D printing—students will experiment with shaping hybrid material systems and testing their architectural potential through physical prototyping. Working with locally available resources such as natural materials, food and/or construction waste, the seminar seeks new paradigms of material circularity and resilience—where architectural forms can "self-care" while remaining entangled within their local ecologies. Waste streams increasingly constitute the only responsible material resource in our world. As of 2020, humanity officially became the maker of the planet: research reported in 'Scientific American' notes that human-made synthetic objects now outweigh the combined biomass of all living organisms on Earth. This reality raises profound questions about the future of architecture and design disciplines. The accumulation of new matter is leaving an irreversible footprint, with the architecture and design industries contributing to the ossified state of the planet's landscape. In the 19th century, people commonly mixed waste streams of food, blood, clay, and sawdust into their material culture, recognizing the practicality of reuse. Today, regenerative design practice has evolved from an aspiration into an absolute necessity.
Prerequisites: none listed
Offered: Fall 2026, Fall 2025
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