The Bartlett
Autumn Show 2025
Explore
Autumn Show 2025
unit-code
Close
![Chiramic introduces modular floating ceramics coated with Chitosan that absorb nutrients, support microbial growth, and integrate into Windermere’s shoreline, creating an adaptive system for ecological regeneration.]()
![Chiramic reframes algal blooms as opportunity, transforming blue biomass into material systems that heal freshwater ecologies through nutrient exchange and collaboration.]()
![Windermere faces rising phosphorus levels, fueling harmful algal blooms that disrupt biodiversity and water quality, demanding site-specific, low-impact strategies for balance.]()
![Slip-cast ceramic tripod modules with integrated voids act as ecological scaffolds, enabling microbial colonisation and efficient load distribution across aquatic structures.]()
![Pools generated through computational design maximise surface area for chitosan coating, nutrient exchange, and algae harvest, tested through sun and rain simulations.]()
![Fixed aggregations act as structural anchors and public platforms, while surrounding floating modules invite users to deploy and assemble them, merging spatial design with ecological performance.]()
![Translates ecological zonation into spatial strategy. Ceramic modules are deployed across littoral, sublittoral, and limnetic depths, aligning architectural intervention with algal productivity, light penetration, and nutrient exchange conditions.]()
![The floating system responds to changing light, rainfall, and nutrient cycles. Seasonal variation enhances chitosan-coated surfaces for algae harvest and ecological exchange.]()
![A workflow combining CNC milling, plaster casting, and robotic clay extrusion produces modular ceramic tripods, precisely layered and bisque-fired for aquatic deployment.]()
![Fired ceramics coated in chitosan were inoculated with Chlorella, testing adhesion and microbial colonisation across 3D-printed and slip-cast surfaces.]()
![Fired ceramic tiles with computationally generated textures were coated in chitosan and inoculated with algae to study surface performance in early bioactive tests.]()
![CNC-milled moulds and plaster casting create slip-cast ceramics with macro-scale surface textures. These patterned geometries enhance water interaction, micro-algae attachment, and long-term ecological performance.]()
![A CNC-milled master generates plaster moulds for slip-casting ceramic modules. Micro-textures embedded in the form enhance chitosan adhesion, algae colonisation, and nutrient exchange, transforming fabrication precision into ecological performance.]()
![Tripod modules are organised in bottom, middle, and top layers, forming aggregated systems. The layered assembly enhances structural stability, surface area, and ecological performance for algae cultivation and nutrient exchange.]()
![Fired ceramic tripod modules interlock into aggregated assemblies, enhancing stability and spatial depth. Their textured surfaces maximise chitosan coating, nutrient exchange, and algae colonisation.]()
![Timeline of experiments optimising a nutrient-binding, water-resistant chitosan coating for Chiramic.]()
![Swollen films after water submersion show the polymer network shifting from a rigid dry state to a moisture-responsive interface with activated binding capacity.]()
![Chitosan–citric acid film produced under low-temperature, long-duration curing. The process yielded incomplete crosslinking, leaving the film fragile and unstable.]()
![Chitosan–citric acid–phosphate film formed under a high-temperature, short-duration cure profile, demonstrating a less energy-intensive route to crosslinking.]()
![Uncoated and dip-coated chitosan ceramic modules submerged in algae-rich water. Image-based analysis tracked biomass growth and nutrient kinetics for phosphates and nitrates.]()
![Day 6 view of the uncoated module. It captured some nutrients early but released them back. Algae growth stayed minimal, with little biomass attaching to the surface.]()
![Day 6 view of the coated module. It slowed nitrate release and kept absorbing phosphates. By Day 11, biofilm hotspots appeared, showing strong algae attachment to the surface.]()
Chiramic
Project details
Programme
Year
1
Team Name
Chiramic
Chiramic reimagines design as a partner in restoring balance to freshwater ecosystems. Focused on Lake Windermere, where harmful algal blooms are intensifying due to nutrient pollution, the project proposes an alternative to heavy infrastructure and chemical treatment. Modular ceramic forms, coated with chitosan, a natural biopolymer derived from shells, create biologically responsive surfaces that attract and bind excess nutrients while encouraging algae attachment.
The installation combines experimental results, material prototypes, and conceptual diagrams to show how these modules function in the lake, from small-scale lab testing to speculative large-scale deployment. Visitors will encounter the textures of the coated ceramics, visualisations of algae colonisation, and narratives linking scientific method with ecological storytelling. By drawing attention to the interplay of material, organism, and place, Chiramic invites us to imagine design as a tool for care, remediation, and new forms of ecological cohabitation.
Students
- Aaushi Mehta Year 1
- Jana Bakr Year 2
01
Introduction
Introduction
Chiramic introduces modular floating ceramics coated with Chitosan that absorb nutrients, support microbial growth, and integrate into Windermere’s shoreline, creating an adaptive system for ecological regeneration.
Problem Statement
Chiramic reframes algal blooms as opportunity, transforming blue biomass into material systems that heal freshwater ecologies through nutrient exchange and collaboration.
Site Introduction
Windermere faces rising phosphorus levels, fueling harmful algal blooms that disrupt biodiversity and water quality, demanding site-specific, low-impact strategies for balance.
02
Design Proposal
Tripod Scaffold Ceramic Modules
Slip-cast ceramic tripod modules with integrated voids act as ecological scaffolds, enabling microbial colonisation and efficient load distribution across aquatic structures.
Surfaces That Host and Absorb
Pools generated through computational design maximise surface area for chitosan coating, nutrient exchange, and algae harvest, tested through sun and rain simulations.
Axonometric System: Public Interface and Structural Aggregation
Fixed aggregations act as structural anchors and public platforms, while surrounding floating modules invite users to deploy and assemble them, merging spatial design with ecological performance.
Sectional Strategy: Depth, Light, and Modular Placement
Translates ecological zonation into spatial strategy. Ceramic modules are deployed across littoral, sublittoral, and limnetic depths, aligning architectural intervention with algal productivity, light penetration, and nutrient exchange conditions.
Chiramic: Living Infrastructures for Freshwater Balance
Chiramic: Living Infrastructures for Freshwater Balance
From polluted waters to shared landscapes, the proposal transforms algal remediation into a civic activity—revitalising Windermere as both ecological habitat and public space.
Seasonal Adaptation of Floating Modules
The floating system responds to changing light, rainfall, and nutrient cycles. Seasonal variation enhances chitosan-coated surfaces for algae harvest and ecological exchange.
03
Fabrication
Robotic Fabrication of Ceramic Modules
A workflow combining CNC milling, plaster casting, and robotic clay extrusion produces modular ceramic tripods, precisely layered and bisque-fired for aquatic deployment.
Chitosan Coatings and Bioactive Colonisation
Fired ceramics coated in chitosan were inoculated with Chlorella, testing adhesion and microbial colonisation across 3D-printed and slip-cast surfaces.
Textures for Living Skins
Fired ceramic tiles with computationally generated textures were coated in chitosan and inoculated with algae to study surface performance in early bioactive tests.
CNC to Slip-Cast: Macro-Textured Ceramic Module
CNC-milled moulds and plaster casting create slip-cast ceramics with macro-scale surface textures. These patterned geometries enhance water interaction, micro-algae attachment, and long-term ecological performance.
CNC to Slip-Cast: Micro-Textured Ceramic Module
A CNC-milled master generates plaster moulds for slip-casting ceramic modules. Micro-textures embedded in the form enhance chitosan adhesion, algae colonisation, and nutrient exchange, transforming fabrication precision into ecological performance.
Layered Ceramic Modules
Tripod modules are organised in bottom, middle, and top layers, forming aggregated systems. The layered assembly enhances structural stability, surface area, and ecological performance for algae cultivation and nutrient exchange.
Assembled Modular Bio-Ceramic System
Fired ceramic tripod modules interlock into aggregated assemblies, enhancing stability and spatial depth. Their textured surfaces maximise chitosan coating, nutrient exchange, and algae colonisation.
04
Material Development
Chitosan Coating Development: Process to Function
Timeline of experiments optimising a nutrient-binding, water-resistant chitosan coating for Chiramic.
Scaled-Up Chitosan Coating Solution
Scaled-Up Chitosan Coating Solution
High-shear stirring activates a nucleophilic pathway, enabling curing with less heat, gentler pH, and shorter cycles—making coatings more efficient and responsive.
Moisture-Activated Transformation of Chitosan Films
Swollen films after water submersion show the polymer network shifting from a rigid dry state to a moisture-responsive interface with activated binding capacity.
Chitosan–Citric Acid Film After Low-Heat, Long Cure
Chitosan–citric acid film produced under low-temperature, long-duration curing. The process yielded incomplete crosslinking, leaving the film fragile and unstable.
Chitosan–Citric Acid Film After High-Heat, Short Cure
Chitosan–citric acid–phosphate film formed under a high-temperature, short-duration cure profile, demonstrating a less energy-intensive route to crosslinking.
05
Lab Results
Spring Simulation: Experiment on Algal Attachment and Nutrient Dynamics
Uncoated and dip-coated chitosan ceramic modules submerged in algae-rich water. Image-based analysis tracked biomass growth and nutrient kinetics for phosphates and nitrates.
Simulation Tank: Uncoated Ceramic Module at Day 6
Day 6 view of the uncoated module. It captured some nutrients early but released them back. Algae growth stayed minimal, with little biomass attaching to the surface.
Simulation Tank: Chitosan-Coated Ceramic Module at Day 6
Day 6 view of the coated module. It slowed nitrate release and kept absorbing phosphates. By Day 11, biofilm hotspots appeared, showing strong algae attachment to the surface.
The Bartlett
Autumn Show 2025
23 September – 5 October
Autumn Show 2025
Explore
Coming soon