ABSTRACT
Office paper constitutes one of the emblematic waste deposit of post-industrial societies, increasingly used as an alternative to traditional design material. This paper explores how Papier Plume, a new foam made from local paper waste can be 3D printed and rigidified by bacterially-induced calcite precipitation in order to enhance its sensory, tectonic and functional performances. Sitting at the intersection of biodesign and circular design, it reflects on preliminary material probes emphasizing the potential of a design-led strategy combining post-industrial waste and microbiologic process for circular applications in an architectural and design context. By attesting of the potential of extruding and bio-calcifying Papier Plume, this paper exemplifies how bacteria can become a key-player in a low-impact design & processing of paper waste as foam-based materials.
