Created by Italian design researcher Cinzia Ferrari, CyanoFabbrica is a bio project that showcases the potential of utilizing cyanobacteria to manufacture products such as glasses.
Found in bodies of water, cyanobacteria is a microscopic organism that photosynthesizes for energy. Although often called green-blue algae, colours can range from green, orange, pink, and more.
According to Ferrari, her CyanoFabbrica project harnesses the bacteria’s ability to biomineralize. The designer says that production can be optimized to offset emissions. In addition, the product itself is designed so that it can be recycled and made anew.
Inspiration for the project is said to come from research published by the University of Colorado at Boulder, which showed that cyanobacteria biomineralization was capable of forming durable bricks.
“The organism and its needs played a fundamental part in my design system, and contributed to the final aesthetics, which are partially dictated by the way this organism binds its substrate,” explains Ferrari. “No two are alike. The temples and front of the frame are made of biomineralized material, while cyanobacteria pigment phycocyanin was used as a print.”
All images in this article are courtesy of Cinzia Ferrari.
