Every year, more than 10 million tons of shells—mostly from oysters, clams, scallops, and mussels—are discarded as waste despite their high calcium carbonate content. CONQ turns this socalled waste into a sustainable building material. Combining crushed seashells with algae-based biopolymers creates a heat-free bioceramic made entirely from marine biomass. CONQ explores the potential of bioregional value chains derived from marine food waste. The goal is to design and produce a construction system in modular fragments with varying mechanical and aesthetic properties.
Participants
ANGIE DUB AND HEIDI JALKH
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
Angie Dub, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1987. Lives and works in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Heidi Jalkh, Medellín, Colombia, 1986. Lives and works in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Authorial collaborators
Lorenzo Rossi
Technical collaborators
Dana Sáez, RWTH Aachen University (Material testing); Arturo De La Fuente, Donatella Araujo Lefosse, Ian Giribaldi, Lucas Shigihara, Miguel Sanchez, Tomas Lupinucci, and Emilia Massa, MSH Lab (Structural mounting system development); Ernesto Marceca, CONICET (Chemistry advisor); Juliana Giménez, CONICET (Malacology advisor); Maxi Rossi, Ultramarinos (Material source); Geraldine Gastaldo, Gabriel Oggero, Crizia Restaurant (Material source)
Team
Micaela Fernandes (Graphic design); Azul Sanseverino (3D visualization)
Thanks
Julio Sánchez Arimayn, Espinosa Estudios; Cluster of Excellence Matters of Activity; LABVA (Laboratorio de Biomateriales de Valdivia); Carolina Pacheco, Calcáreo; Valentina Aliaga; Natalia Escola; PrintaLot; Verónica Yias
Supporters
Bauhaus Earth, Experimental Foundation, Grupo MSH
