Material science research

Our sister company, founded in 2014, runs applied research into building materials.

Turning waste and simple materials into structure.

We look for uses for wasted or overlooked materials, and ways to build complex forms from simple ones.

Slag blocks. With Vale in Sudbury, we cast molten smelter slag into large blocks that anneal into stone as they cool, turning a mining liability into a building material. Ongoing since 2011.
Formid. A made-to-measure seat folded from paper substrates, with embedded sensors. US and Canadian patents (including US 10,368,650 and 11,432,656), research with Western University, Laurentian University and FPInnovations.
Cascading Biospheres. An ultra-high-performance concrete living wall that won the 2011 Ductal reactive wall competition.

Funding and support have come from Mitacs, NOHFC, FPInnovations, Norcat, Domtar, Vale and the RAIC. We prototype in house with 3D printers and a laser cutter.

Research projects

Molten slag pouring from a rail car into a trench

Slag Blocks

Sudbury, Ontario2011–present Research

Molten smelter slag cast into self-annealing block, turns mining waste into a building material.

A folded white paper seat with a dark base standing on a concrete floor

Formid

Sudbury and London, Ontario2013–2020 Research

A made-to-measure active seat folded from paper substrates, generated from body measurements and protected by US and Canadian patents.

White perforated concrete cones hanging below a moss-covered panel in a forest

Cascading Biospheres

Vancouver, British Columbia2010–2012 Concept

An ultra-high-performance concrete living-wall prototype that won the 2011 Ductal reactive wall competition.

Rendering of visitors in a dark slag-walled gallery looking at a large painting

Slag Art Gallery

Sudbury, Ontario2011–2012 Research

A master's thesis for a downtown Sudbury gallery built from cast slag, the local smelting by-product.

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Meetings

We work as a remote office across Ontario. We come to you, or arrange a meeting wherever suits you. For distant sites, we often fly in.

How field access works

Useful to include

The property address and what is there now
What you want to build or change, and roughly when
A budget range, if you have one
Any survey, drawings, photos or zoning information you already have