Biomineralized Rosette

Inspired by scientific research carried out at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle on the biomineralization process used by hermatypic corals (also known as builder corals) to produce their rigid limestone skeleton, the “Biomineralized Rosette” offers a new vision of future urban constructions inspired by the way corals grow in the oceans. Composed of “bio-cement” rather than concrete produced using energy-intensive and polluting processes, buildings built using this process see their walls and architectural decor grow and repair themselves. This biosynthesis is achieved through the action of bacteria capable of producing limestone, a principle perfectly illustrated by the “Rosace”, a veritable piece of bioinspired architecture.

This artefact was designed in partnership with the Institut des Futurs Souhaitables as part of the Sensory Odyssey exhibition at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN) in Paris. The aim of the exhibition is to explore the world through the senses. With this in mind, the Big Bang Project agency imagined three fictional innovations inspired by the remarkable properties observed in certain organisms from the environments explored by visitors to the exhibition, as well as ongoing scientific research, to propose a desirable vision of a world built on the principle of bio-inspiration.

Biomineralized Rosette was exhibited at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris from October 2021 to July 2022.