Staff Profile

Thora H Arnardottir is an experimental bio-designer with a background in architecture. She has a passion for pursuing analogy with nature through her work and speculates in regards to our changing relationship through engineered biological systems and new material processes. Her work addresses the possibilities of integrating biological systems in the built environment. With expertise in bacterial biomineralization, her research aims at combining biotic agency with design concepts and innovative crafting techniques. 

Her work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale, House of Electronic Arts Basel, London Design Festival 2019, MIT Media Lab, at the London Zoo, EXPO2017 and BIOTallinn2017. She is also a founder of the Biobabes collective, an experimental design and research collective.

Thora holds a masters degree in Advanced Architecture from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IaaC) in Spain, and a bachelor’s degree from the Arts University Bournemouth (AUB), UK. Currently, Thora is a Research Associate at the Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment working on a microbial 3D printer.

Bacterial Sculpting

My PhD research focuses on exploring the design potential of bacterial-induced biomineralisation. A process that sits within the speculations regarding our changing relationship with nature through engineered biological systems and new material processes. This research focuses on how this type of living material can be used in design and architecture in an attempt to facilitate a dialogue with a living system. A relation of co-designership aimed not at producing programmable and predictable design processes but at understanding and becoming able to follow a new design language. The goal in approaching bacterial biomineralisation as a joint craft expression with these micro-co-designers is to develop to some extent a sculpting technique with the bacteria, by taking into consideration and facilitating them with a particular agency in the development of the final shape.

Current Projects

Living Manufacture

This project aims to manipulate bacterial cellulose material during growth by integrating genetically engineered microbes and the design and building of a novel bioreactor as a part of a new type of 3D printer.

Future Wardrobe

Future Wardrobe project is a WORTH Project funded by the COSME Programme of the European Union, that creates and supports transnational collaborations to develop design-driven and innovative products. The project is a joint collaborative endeavour between BioBabes, alongside artists and designers Lara Campos and Catherine Euale. The Future Wardrobe project showcases the potential uses of algae as non-polluting energy and material source for future textile fabrication where our wardrobe is living.

• Arnardottir T, Dade-Robertson M, Mitrani H, Zhang M, Christgen B. Turbulent Casting: Bacterial Expression in Mineralized Structures. In: ACADIA 2020 Distributed Proximities: Proceedings of the 40th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture. 2021, Online: ACADIA.
• Arnardottir T, Dade-Robertson M, Mitrani H, Christgen B. Bacterial Choreography: Designing Interactions through Biological Induced Mineralisation. In: 1st International Conference on Microbial Biotechnology in Construction Materials and Geotechnical Engineering. 2020, Online.
• Stefanova A, Arnardottir T, Ozkan D, Lee S. Approach to Biologically Made Materials and Advanced Fabrication Practices. In: International Conference on Emerging Technologies In Architectural Design (ICETAD2019). 2019, Department of Architectural Science Ryerson University Toronto, Canada: Ryerson University.
• Arnardottir A, El-Gewely N, Dias J, Ramirez I. Living Light: Biolum Urban Engagement by Means of Bioluminescent Bacteria. In: 3rd International Conference of Biodigital Architecture and Genetics. 2017, School of Architecture de la UIC Barcelona, Spain: Biodigital Architecture Master.