Osteoblast & Osteoclast

An osteoblast is a mononucleate cell that is responsible for bone formation. Osteoblasts produce osteoid, which is composed mainly of Type 1 collagen. Osteoblasts are also responsible for mineralization of the osteoid matrix.
Bone is a dynamic tissue that is constantly being reshaped by osteoblasts, which build bone, and osteoclasts, which resorb bone.
Osteoblast cells tend to decrease as individuals become elderly, thus decreasing the natural renovation of the bone tissue.
What I wanted to do was a collection of osteoblast cells outside of human body, and then let them glow in several material. I supposed these cells would absorb material and make tissue structure, which would be made of these materials.

Ju: ...What I have been interested in is that metabolism since I made mechanism which analysed human's movement in depend on environment.

Nowadays, even though metabolism and morphogenesis are necessary and sufficient condition for living body, a lot of contemporary architects just mimic or copy form or structure of nature without there live system. Therefore their building cannot grow and maintain by themselves. There is no exception in all my professional work which I told.

In "urban hive" case, I mimicked born and honeycomb structure to make new building structure against an earthquake and storm, and to make empty space for flexible purpose of users because I had focused on morphogenesis structure such as the structure of born, exoskeleton and frustule. The more I studied living system and form, the less I was satisfied this project. Because I just used natural structure which do not have a self-assembling and self-maintaining system. It is same as a dead body which must be collapsed when its life time finish by nature. This is one of the reason why I am here.

Before starting our course, I wanted to design nano mechanism which makes material and change chemical ingredients of material. It could become one of science fiction film or paper work or possible blueprint. But, after your first lecture, This my plan has been changed to biological architecture.The meaning of protocells, diatoms and slime mould has showed me that self-assembling, self-maintaining and self-growing architecture is a feasible plan.

Last week, I read some newspaper article that RMS (Regenerative Medical Services) succeed to cure several patients who has a broken jawbone to use bone cell implantation (Osteoblasts). What I thought from this article was if this osteoblast can live outside of our body without DNA (I do not know about this cell which needs or has DNA), and if this cell can absorb environment elements, this cell will make new material and structure by itself. Therefore I wanted to study this subject at the time. After our first meeting, I am thinking I should postpone my this interest for the future research. Because my lack knowledge of this subject will fail to show a feasible plan, and I realise this kind of experiment needs high technology and a lot of financial support. Thus, it is impossible to apply easily in the world.

Rachel Armstrong: ... yes, the system to use as a speculative technology.

Osteoblasts & Osteoclasts do indeed have DNA and they are quite fragile ... the big problem with them is that bacteria love the tissue culture so you have to keep them in a sterile environment ...

My feeling is Ju, if you wanted something very interesting, I would put your honeycomb structure into water ... that way you will get rid of the need for worrying about too many support structures to keep growing systems alive ...

Alternatively there are of course bacteria and slime moulds ...

Bacteria can fix silicon particles (sand) look at Magnus Larsson (TED talk actually) for this with the bacterial 'printer' to reclaim areas of desert .... but the problem with his schema is irrigation ...

If you want me to dream .... then I definitely would look at the legendary city of Atlantis ... which according to the texts of Plato was 'rich in technology' but sinks into the mud ...

There are also atolls in the Pacific which will no longer be there with the rising sea levels ... it may be possible to propose an artificial reef that generates honeycomb like buildings as the atolls sink into the sea so that the population is able to live part in the water and part in the land ...

To generate this kind of structue in the water woud be really very interesting ...

There is the biorock technology that you could look at which has a steel framework and uses low current ...

Or there is the protocell technology which we could develop to make carbon fixing rocks ....

I think that this idea of an aqueous style building that exists between the water and the land is a very interesting one ... and is one that really has not been done before ..

Christian Kerrigan has made some initial drawings of an artificial reef under Venice ... but this could be developed so much more in an architectural context ...

See what you think ...