Wyss-developed Shrilk bioplastic is featured in the “SuperMaterial” exhibit at The Building Centre, a London museum that promote innovation in the built environment. Shrilk, which is made from fibroin from silk and chitosan from shrimp cells, is a compostable bioplastic alternative to non-degradable polymers.
The “SuperMaterial” exhibit: The next industrial revolution is upon us. The way we envisage, create and build our cities and landscapes has not faced such rapid change in decades. And materials are shaping the movement.
Stronger, lighter, thinner and biodegradable properties are being discovered in materials that already exist, and in new laboratory-produced compounds. This new age of exploration is informing the supply and manufacture of products, and the design and construction of buildings and cities.
SuperMaterial is a major public exhibition by The Built Environment Trust celebrating the essential, and often hidden, elements of our surroundings. Delving into the world of academia and science, we identify the latest laboratory-based discoveries and demonstrate how they will change our world – informing the R&D departments of today and transforming the buildings of our future. The project will also explore how the historical application of raw elements and minimally processed goods – the ‘super materials’ of their time – have shaped our urban fabric.
Can buildings self-repair? Is graphene really a game-changer? Will electricity-generating materials save the planet? We will explore these questions and much more in SuperMaterial, an exhibition of material innovations that are effecting the ecology, budgets, safety and life-span of our buildings.
For more information, please visit The Building Centre’s website here.
1/5 Bioplastic molds of a drinking cup and egg carton. Credit: Chris Tubbs and The Building Centre 
2/5 Bioplastic mold of a consumer egg carton. Credit: Chris Tubbs and The Building Centre 
3/5 Bioplastic mold of a disposable drinking cup. Credit: Chris Tubbs and The Building Centre 
4/5 Bioplastic mold of a shrimp shell. Credit: Chris Tubbs and The Building Centre 
5/5 Bioplastic mold of an insect wing. Credit: Chris Tubbs and The Building Centre