Architectural Cases

Brussels-based designer Ori Orisun Merhav harnesses a natural polymer secreted by tiny lac insects to craft radiant sculptures and functional art. Her pioneering endeavor, dubbed 'Made by Insects,' involves heating and shaping this amber-hued resin, commonly known as shellac, into ethereal, translucent bubble formations. Some of these delicate structures are elegantly poised on metallic frameworks, while others are ingeniously arranged as elaborate, suspended lighting fixtures. Merhav's visionary application of shellac extends its utility far beyond its conventional role as a protective sealant. This innovative research, which explores the material's potential in 3D printing and large-scale architectural elements, has earned her a prestigious 2026 Dutch Design Award, underscoring her commitment to incorporating bio-derived substances into contemporary design and construction.

The Ingenious Exploitation of a Biological Polymer in Design

Ori Orisun Merhav, a designer operating out of Brussels, is at the forefront of a novel design practice that leverages a natural polymer sourced from minuscule lac insects. Her 'Made by Insects' initiative reimagines shellac, typically a mundane protective coating, as a medium for artistic expression, forging it into luminous sculptures and sculptural furnishings. Through a meticulous process involving controlled heating and blowing, Merhav transforms the amber-toned material into intricate arrangements of translucent bubbles. These creations range from clusters delicately balanced on steel armatures to grand, chandelier-like installations. Her groundbreaking work, recognized with a 2026 Dutch Design Award, pushes the boundaries of material application, exploring the integration of this insect-derived substance into innovative 3D printing techniques and architectural-scale projects, thereby proposing a sustainable and biologically informed future for design.

The journey of shellac from insect secretion to designer material is a fascinating one. The Kerria lacca insects, no larger than a grain of sand, attach themselves to host trees, consuming sap and producing a natural resin that encases their bodies. This hardened resin, harvested and processed, becomes the shellac that Merhav employs. Her initial encounter with these insects during her studies at Design Academy Eindhoven sparked a profound interest in their biological polymer production. This led her to Thailand, where she immersed herself in lac cultivation practices and the communities involved, gaining insights into the insects' life cycles and the agricultural context of their production. Her 2022 graduation project, 'The Lac Lab Open Source,' evolved into 'Made by Insects,' an ongoing exploration of shellac's potential, also highlighting the economic challenges faced by natural resin producers due to synthetic alternatives.

Translating Natural Structures into Contemporary Forms

Upon returning to her studio, Merhav embarked on an extensive exploration of shellac's capabilities beyond its traditional applications. She discovered that the material's thermoplastic properties, softening when heated and solidifying upon cooling, allowed for its manipulation into thin membranes and hollow forms, much like glassblowing. Her early experiments resulted in large, singular bubbles, but their inherent fragility led her to re-examine the insects' natural protective structures. This closer observation revealed that the insects' enclosures were composed of numerous smaller, interconnected cells. This insight proved transformative, guiding Merhav to adopt a new methodology: blowing smaller volumes of shellac and then intricately joining them to create larger, more robust structures. This approach directly mirrors the insects' construction principles, resulting in a unique design language of clustered forms.

Examples like the 'Branching Insects Chandelier' and 'Meet Me Under the Insects Tree' showcase this innovative technique, where amber-hued bubbles gracefully expand along slender metal supports. These pieces emit a warm, inviting glow, their uneven surfaces adding to their organic allure. The finished works possess an almost botanical aesthetic, yet their underlying structural integrity is derived from the very shelters crafted by the lac insects. Furthermore, Merhav has expanded her research into digital fabrication, collaborating with partners like Ginger Additive, Reflexlab, and Aeditto to produce the first 3D-printed shellac objects. This cutting-edge process investigates how a naturally occurring polymer can be extruded through a printer without chemical modification, with temperature and material behavior influencing the final forms. Her 'Morphopoiesis' vessels, characterized by irregular, cellular walls and dense networks of deposited material, exemplify this emerging technique. Merhav's ongoing exhibition, 'Portal Into The Multi-Species,' at the Sarah Myerscough Gallery in London, invites visitors into an immersive environment of delicate shellac bubbles attached to steel branches, culminating in 'The Woven Insect Canopy,' where palm sheaths coated in resin are internally illuminated by LEDs, revealing their intricate woven structure and reimagining a natural protective material as an integral part of an envisioned architectural landscape.

A groundbreaking exhibition at Powerhouse Parramatta is set to transport visitors to the year 2075 with a full-scale architectural installation of a conceptual Mars habitat. Designed by AENARA, a pioneering space architecture studio, this 'Off-World Habitat Wall Section' offers a detailed glimpse into humanity's future on the Red Planet. This ambitious project, developed in collaboration with NASA, leading university researchers, and industry partners, showcases the intricate engineering and innovative construction methods required to support human life in the harsh Martian environment.

The exhibit, commissioned for the 'Task Eternal' program and opening on November 7th, 2026, focuses on the critical elements of an extraterrestrial dwelling. It meticulously displays the structural layers, vital mechanical utilities, and sophisticated autonomous manufacturing processes that underpin a self-sustaining Martian settlement. The installation highlights the integration of cutting-edge technologies and sustainable practices, demonstrating how future inhabitants could thrive far from Earth's protective atmosphere.

A core feature of AENARA's design involves the use of 3D printed sulfur concrete shells. These robust outer envelopes are constructed from local Martian regolith, showcasing a revolutionary approach to in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). This method not only reduces the need for materials transported from Earth but also leverages the planet's own resources to build resilient structures. Beneath these protective shells, an inflatable pressure membrane, radiation shielding, and high-performance thermal insulation create a secure and stable interior environment.

The habitat's sophisticated life-support infrastructure is seamlessly integrated within its walls. Conduits for water filtration, atmospheric recycling, data transfer, and power delivery form a complex network designed to maintain optimal living conditions. Beyond technical systems, AENARA has also prioritized crew well-being, incorporating natural light strategies and enlarged window viewports to combat the psychological challenges of isolation in an extreme environment. This holistic approach translates advanced aerospace research into practical, scalable construction methodologies, with potential applications for both off-world colonization and sustainable terrestrial building.

This visionary project by AENARA at Powerhouse Parramatta represents a significant leap in understanding and designing for human survival beyond Earth. By merging advanced robotics, material science, and psychological considerations, the 'Off-World Habitat Wall Section' provides a compelling blueprint for future Martian settlements and inspires new possibilities for extreme environment architecture.