From surface to substrate in bioreceptive ceramics: Stochastic geometry, porosity, and ecological performance

Architectural surfaces are typically designed as inert boundaries that resist environmental and biological interaction. This paper reconceives surfaces as active substrates that support ecological processes through the integration of computational design, material engineering, and environmental exposure. Focusing on bioreceptivity, the research examines how multi-scalar geometry and controlled porosity influence moisture dynamics and early-stage moss establishment. Ceramic elements are generated using procedural noise fields translated into geometric variation and fabricated through additive manufacturing. The material system incorporates a sacrificial starch-based admixture to ceramics which increase bioreceptivity by producing augmented porosity for a variety of functions. The methodology is demonstrated in the design of a Moss Column , however the object is deployed as distributed test elements across multiple microhabitats in the coastal foothills of California and inoculated with locally sourced moss. Observations demonstrate that concave geometries, micro-scale roughness, and site-specific environmental conditions significantly influence moisture persistence and biological attachment. The results support evolving frameworks of bioreceptivity as not solely a static intrinsic material property, but a condition arising from the interaction of material, biological, and environment. This work positions computational design as a method for environmental conditioning which includes nonhuman participation. In doing so it frames the opportunity for digital computation and fabrication to be an act of calibration to ecological contexts. This work argues that the next evolution of architectural computing lies not in greater control, but in designing conditions that intentionally loosen human determinism to make room for shared living agency.