Architecture is undergoing a “biowaste revolution,” according to Architect, an online publication affiliated with the Journal of the American Institute of Architects. The piece detailed a number of new raw materials innovation. One architect profiled, Ayse Yilmaz, began making new materials out of tangerine peels when she was just 20, and eventually would add discarded jewelry, light fixtures, and cabbage to her designs. She is the founder of Ottan Studio, a design firm based in Istanbul. She cites her disenchantment with design approaches that did not consider nature for her unique choice of materials. “In Istanbul and big cities like this, [I thought] there must have been a lot of people who longed for nature as I do, so I developed a method to bring nature into more people’s lives,” she added.
Another architect, Ehab Sayed, is focusing on the construction industry. “I found that the reasons why waste was being generated were not necessarily financial or technological but rather perceptual.” He has since founded Biohm, a biomanufacturing company focused on construction materials in London. He uses hemp, flax, materials from grain mills and landscaping companies, and restaurant waste such as coffee grounds. “If waste streams are managed appropriately from the point at which they are being generated, the foul smell and the decay becomes a non-problem,” Sayed adds.