What if buildings could repair small cracks, respond to their environment, or even help capture carbon?
Join us for an interdisciplinary public lecture and exhibition at the University of Washington that explores how researchers are using living and bio-based materials to rethink how buildings are made and how they perform in a changing climate.
Lecture details
Date: Tuesday, February 11, 2026
6:00 PM – Lecture | Bagley Hall, Room 131
7:15 PM – Exhibition Opening Reception | Gould Hall, Gould Gallery
Please RSVP
Three UW faculty members will talk about their work on engineered living and bio-based materials and how these materials could help lower construction-related carbon emissions, make buildings more resilient, and introduce new functions such as self-repair, environmental response, and carbon capture:
- Professor Alshakim Nelson, Chemistry (lab website)
- Professor Ayọ̀kúnlé Ọlánrewájú, Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering (lab website)
- Professor Gundula Proksch, Architecture (lab website)
Their research brings together chemistry, biology, engineering, and design. It looks at how living cells can be built into materials so that structures behave more like natural systems than traditional building products.
Why this matters now
Buildings and construction are responsible for about 40 percent of global carbon emissions. Much of that comes from making and replacing materials. At the same time, cities are under pressure to meet climate goals and build infrastructure that can better handle heat, flooding, and other stresses.
New advances in biology and manufacturing are making it possible to guide how living organisms behave and embed them into materials with more control than ever before. UW is becoming a hub for this kind of climate-focused building research.
A public exhibition and reception will follow the lecture. It will feature visual and physical examples of microbial facades, bio-based panels, and other materials inspired by living systems. The event offers strong visual and human-interest story angles, along with access to local researchers working on the future of climate-friendly buildings.
This event is part of a series highlighting interdisciplinary research and collaboration across the Department of Chemistry, the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering, and the Department of Architecture. Visit the following links for more information on each related event:
- February 2, 2026: Month-long studio exhibition begins
- February 11, 2026: Public lecture and exhibition reception: Professor Alshakim Nelson, Professor Ayọ̀kúnlé Ọlánrewájú, and Professor Gundula Proksch
- February 26, 2026: Organic chemistry seminar: Professor Eleftheria Roumeli (University of Washington Department of Materials Science and Engineering)
- March 3, 2026: Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute seminar: Professor Meredith Silberstein (Cornell University)