David Andréen

David Andréen

Senior lecturer

Personal profile

Research

I am a Senior Lecturer in Architecture at the Department of Architecture and Built Environment, Lund University, Sweden. At the department, I am responsible for the subject of Architecture, Form, and Design, and Programme Director for the master programme in Digital Architecture and Emergent Futures. I lead the research group bioDigital Matter. Before coming to Lund, I undertook my doctorate studies at University College London (UCL), where I also taught in the Bartlett B-Pro Architectural Design programme and was involved in a startup for large-scale construction 3d printing. 

My research relates to nature-based solutions in architectural production, and particularly how digitalization of design and fabrication is enabling new modes of engaging with complexity in design with the aim of creating a more sustainable construction industry. In my doctorate studies I worked together with an interdisciplinary group of biologists, engineers, mathematicians, and architects to understand termite mounds as a model for architectural design. On the one hand this entails understanding the way biological structures utilise complex shape to drive physiological functions (in this case air-flow), and the self-organising morphogenetic processes that enable this. Based on this understanding, I model systems for sustainable, performative and circular construction practice based on large-scale 3d printing. Since coming to Lund I have built up a research group exploring these issues and led several projects engaged with both design and fabrication: The Meristem Wall investigates self-organising design processes for a complex, 3d printed building envelope, with an emphasis on functional integration. Protomycokion is a project where we developed a system for 3d printing biomaterials (primarily forestry byproducts) in combination with live fungus which acts as a binder and which transforms the chemical and mechanical properties of the wood pulp. In addition to conventional peer-review publications, these projects have led to large scale prototypes that have been exhibited at the Venice Architecture Biennale, and presented at the triennial conference Fabricate 2020 to an audience of close to a thousand attendees. Two further projects that I lead, Biomimetic fabrication through robotic 3d printing and Interactive Construction Robotics, engage with nonlinear fabrication processes using robotics and sensor feedback. These two projects are carried out in collaboration with the Center for Construction Robotics at LTH. 

My work in research and teaching is strongly anchored in a trans- and interdisciplinary context, and I collaborate extensively with biologists, computer scientist, and engineers, and also publish in a broad range of disciplinary publications outside of architecture. This interdisciplinary approach is enabled by an active engagement with research-by-design methodologies. Apart from my research agenda, I teach extensively in architecture. I have initiated and led the development of a new master programme in Digital Architecture and Emergent Futures, where I seek to empower and employ future architects to engage with a future defined by on the one hand a plethora of ned tools and processes, and of the other a need to reshape the built environment for sustainability in line with the Green Deal and New European Bauhaus.

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
  • SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
  • SDG 13 - Climate Action
  • SDG 15 - Life on Land
  • SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals

UKÄ subject classification

  • Architecture
  • Architectural Engineering
  • Other Biological Topics
  • Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use
  • Robotics
  • Bio Materials
  • Computer Vision and Robotics (Autonomous Systems)
  • Other Computer and Information Science

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Collaborations the last five years

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  • 7 Article
  • 3 Paper in conference proceeding
  • 1 Book chapter
  • 1 Curated/produced exhibition/event
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View all 13 research outputs
View all 6 projects
View all 18 activities
View all 6 prizes and distinction