The First Architectural Surface made from Sea Urchins
By Primitives Biodesign
Berkeley, CA — Primitives, a biodesign and materials innovation company, is announcing the launch of MARBLIS, a new architectural surfaces brand and its debut innovation, Urchinite™ the world’s first architectural surface made from sea urchins. Urchinite represents a breakthrough in material science and ecological design: a biomarble engineered not just for beauty and durability, but for environmental repair.
While native to California, purple sea urchins have become a symbol of underwater imbalance, stripping once-thriving kelp forest ecosystems down to sea urchin deserts. Under normal conditions, sea urchins commonly shelter in rocky crevices and feed on drift kelp that settles on the seafloor. With heat waves and loss of key predators, purple urchin populations have surged by up to 1,000% in some areas. Over the last decade, more than 96% of Northern California’s kelp has vanished, leading to biodiversity loss and economic strain across coastal communities. Uni from sea urchins have a reputation as a fine dining delicacy, but unfortunately eating them is insufficient since most have little to no roe.
Marine Ecosystem Before & After Vibrant, healthy kelp forest (left) and sea urchin barren (right). Images: Andrew b Stowe (left) andThe Nature Conservancy, Ralph Pace (right).
Primitives offers a tangible solution to reduce overpopulation of purple urchins - transforming this marine nuisance into a high quality, one-of-a-kind biomarble that helps to restore balance beneath the waves. Developed in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, Primitives integrates material innovation with environmental action by supporting the regrowth of kelp forests vital to carbon sequestration, fisheries, and marine biodiversity. Working in collaboration with marine scientists and commercial divers, purple urchins are harvested at targeted kelp restoration areas. Every 50 units of Urchinite biomarble produced has the potential to clear 1.1 acres of purple urchins, enabling kelp forests to regrow and marine biodiversity to rebound. This measurable ecological benefit puts Urchinite in a category of its own - where each surface is traceable to a marine restoration event.
“With Urchinite, we’re not just designing a product, we’re designing a material interface that bridges land and sea - where the construction of a dining table triggers the rewilding of a habitat.”
Close up of Urchinite biomarble sample. Image by Primitives Bio.
Drawing on over a decade of biomaterials technology expertise, the Primitives team developed a patent-pending process to transform sea urchins into engineered biomarble, a new material inspired by one of the world’s most revered stones. Urchinite is made from biocalcite, a naturally occurring marine mineral found in sea urchin shells. It is formed by integrating this mineral into a biobased binder, resulting in a durable, marble-like stone material called a biomarble. As the first product in this emerging category of biocalcite surfaces, Urchinite is leading the next evolution in the engineered stone industry.
MARBLIS Urchinite™ is designed to be more durable in performance than natural marble and limestone, making them ideal for interior and architectural applications such as countertops, wall coverings, flooring, furniture, and decor. For architects and designers, it offers a bio-based material with no VOCs or silica, that is produced locally with low-embodied carbon. For homeowners and builders, Urchinite is a chance to incorporate local regenerative materials into bespoke environments that impart enduring value and oceanic beauty, while playing a key role in promoting the healing and recovery of coastal marine life.
Once deemed a "zombie" nuisance, the purple sea urchin is now being reimagined as a symbol of recovery and transformation. Urchinite is the culmination of years of research, blending cutting edge materials science, biodesign innovation, and precision engineering into a product that is as high-performing as it is meaningful and beautiful. Urchinite represents a next-generation approach to blue economy innovation, where climate mitigation and habitat regeneration are supported through market-based solutions.
Available now for custom orders and project partnerships.
ABOUT PRIMITIVES
Primitives is a biodesign company that develops advanced materials to solve the planet’s most critical environmental challenges. Through cutting-edge materials science, innovative design, and systems engineering, Primitives is reshaping the materials economy into a platform for nature and ecosystem restoration. Working in partnership with leading non-profits, governments, industry, research organizations, cultural institutions, and regional communities, Primitives is building towards a future where — nature speaks, and systems listen. Its consumer-facing architectural surfaces brand, MARBLIS™ brings this vision to the built environment and introduces a new class of stone surfaces called biocalcite, engineered to support ecosystem repair and design performance. Its debut innovation, Urchinite™ is the world's first bio marble made from sea urchins, designed to restore kelp forests and regenerate marine biodiversity.