Nestling Brick

Waterloo University / M. Arch. / Concept Design / Cambridge, ON / 2023

In collaboration with Stephanie Florence, Hania Shehab, & Parastoo Varshosaz

Exhibited at the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery in Waterloo and Riverside Gallery at University of Waterloo School of Architecture
2nd prize recipient of the Longevity of Masonry Award by the Masonry Council of Ontario valued at $2000

Bringing a home to life with Nestling bricks

by providing 3D-printed homes for native bird species.

Nestling is a transformation of the rectilinear brick into a parametric form that brings life into any brick wall by providing habitats for birds, insects, and plants. Ceramic unique pieces are designed and 3D-printed to be dynamically incorporated within a masonry wall while providing various sized openings for various species habitats. The assembly is designed to attract smaller birds that are native to the region like chickadees and the red breasted nuthatch, while allowing seeds and plants to grow on the lower edges integrating living organisms and human habitats. Since the size is based on a generic masonry unit, the wall can be assembled in two different applications; a free-standing façade system that connects indoor and outdoor spaces or as hung pieces incorporated within an existing double masonry wall.

Habitat biodiversity is enhanced through the integration of living organisms into the daily life of humans and bringing inert homes and façades to life. The symbiotic relationships Nestling achieves represent a future of architectural design systems embodying sustainable
inter-species relationships.

The curved & organic shape creates habitats for a diversity of organisms including birds & plants. The size of the designed brick in height is twice the size of a modular brick to adequately house the species while fitting within a traditional masonry façade.

Making Process

Four months were spent on prototyping the design and learning and testing the 3D clay printer. It became evident that appropriate consistency in clay viscosity was vital in maintaining the shape and strength of the printed pieces. Various methods were tested and successfully carried out to maintain design and form of the designed pieces.

In order to maintain the form of each designed piece, a customized printing methodology was designed and carried through during the printing process. As each printed progressed, the extrusion rate was manually decreased while the speed rate increased. This provided a model that was thicker at the base and thinner at the top to avoid collapse.

Modelling the geometries on Grasshopper and Rhino achieved the desired gradience in the sizes of openings and their connecting pieces. The model was then fed into the simplify 3D printing software slicer and each individually 3D printed then fired for assembly.

Final Exhibition

The final Nestling assembled wall was selected for exhibition at the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery in Waterloo and Riverside Gallery at University of Waterloo School of Architecture