CaCO3 Depositional House
The laying down and accumulation of matter by natural agency with respect to time is understood as ’deposition’. Geological and bone formations are such examples of deposition which are also notably reliant on the crystallization of the mineral calcium carbonate (CaCO3), an ecological biomimetic construction system currently attracting enormous research interest within materials science. The CaCO3 Depositional House proposes CaCO3 depositional processes as a basis for constructing architectures in the near future and is accordingly sited at the Knaresborough Petrifying Well, Yorkshire, on the bank of the River Nidd and the reputed dwelling place of the futurist Old Mother Shipton. This speculative hand drawn project transcends pencil and paper through integrating into a wider mixed method research thesis on CaCO3 depositional architectures which: traces depositional architectural precedents through cybernetic and surrealist theory, further explores the construction of the CaCO3 house through written speculative narrative, and documents the experimental and physical prototyping of a component from the CaCO3 Depositional House through CaCO3 deposition and calcite biomineralization over textile templates within the Knaresborough Petrifying Well through 2016. This masters research project was undertaken at Greenwich University under the supervision of Professor Neil Spiller and with further input from leading CaCO3 materials scientist and inorganic chemist Professor Fiona Meldrum (University of Leeds) and molecular biologist Dr Simon Park (University of Surrey).
Project Awards
The project has been awarded: RIBA Selsa Postgraduate Prize 2016 (winner), Greenwich Postgraduate Drawing Prize 2016 (winner), RIBA Presidents Medals 2016 (nominated), WCCA Drawing Prize (Nominated), Jerwood Drawing Prize 2016 (shortlisted), Derwent Drawing Prize (shortlisted).
Publication Status
The project has also been published by Wiley in AD (Architectural Design) Celebrating The Marvellous; Surrealism in Architecture edited by Professor Neil Spiller March 2018.
Exhibitions
The project has also been exhibited in London and throughout the UK. Selected Galleries include: The Mall Galleries, The Jerwood Gallery.
Contact
James Eagle; +44 (0)7773175244; [email protected]
2 - CaCO3 House - The Petrifying Well. ©James Eagle
2 - CaCO3 House - Site Plan. ©James Eagle
3 - Biochemistry of the petrifying well. ©James Eagle
4 - Geo and Bio Mineralization at the petrifying well. ©James Eagle
5 - CaCO3 accretion at the petrifying well. ©James Eagle
6 - CaCO3 House - The Middle Bridge ©James Eagle
7 - CaCO3 House - Plan. ©James Eagle
8 - CaCO3 House - Principal Facade to the river nidd. ©James Eagle
9 - CaCO3 House - Prototype CaCO3 Component. ©James Eagle
10 - CaC03 House - Dining Room. ©James Eagle
11 - CaCO3 House - Prototyping a CaCO3 component in the petrifying well. ©James Eagle
12 - CaCO3 House - Lavatory. ©James Eagle
James Eagle
BIO
James Eagle (BArch MArch, ADPPA ARB RIBA) is a qualified Architect. He graduated from the University of Greenwich, London under the supervision of architectural theorist Professor Neil Spiller and Synthetic Biologist Dr Rachel Armstrong. His graduation research project outlined here was notably awarded the RIBA Selsa Prize, nominated for the RIBA Presidents Medals, and shortlisted for both the Jerwood and Derwent drawing prizes. It has also been exhibited across the UK notably in the Mall Galleries and the Jerwood Space and has been published by Wiley in ‘AD Celebrating The Marvellous: Surrealism in Architecture’. In practice alongside currently establishing his own office Hylozoic Architects, James has worked for many years in the London office of Gianni Botsford Architects on award winning and highly published buildings; built works principally include private residencies across Europe and the Caribbean including for the artist Anish Kapoor. James lives and works between Athens and London.
