Slag Blocks
Casting molten smelter slag into large self-annealing blocks, turning a mining waste into a building material.
Material science research
Alongside the practice, DAO runs applied research into building materials, through an associated research and commercialisation company founded in 2014.
Focus
Turning waste and simple materials into structure.
Our research looks for value in materials that are overlooked or wasted, and for ways to build complex forms from simple ones.
- Slag blocks. Working with Vale in Sudbury to cast molten smelter slag into large blocks that anneal into stone as they cool, as a building material instead of a mining liability. Ongoing since 2011.
- Formid. A made-to-measure seat folded from paper substrates, with embedded sensors. Two US patents (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.
Research has been supported by Mitacs, NOHFC, FPInnovations, Norcat, Domtar, Vale and the RAIC. We have in-house fabrication equipment for prototyping, including 3D printing and laser cutting.
Research projects
Formid
A made-to-measure active seat folded from paper substrates, generated from body measurements and protected by two US patents.
Cascading Biospheres
An ultra-high-performance concrete living-wall prototype that won the 2011 Ductal reactive wall competition.
Slag Art Gallery
A master's thesis for a downtown Sudbury gallery built from cast slag, the local smelting by-product.
Start a conversation
Have a site, a building or an idea? Tell us about it.
Email connect@p-dao.com. We work from Sudbury and Ottawa across Ontario.