The initial research was conducted as a way to create relief housing in response to the 2010 Haitian earthquake. The work of Magnus Larsson inspired the use of the bacteria Bacillus pasteurii through his research on the desertification of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Through a series of laboratory experiments it has been found that Bacillus pasteurii is a biofilm forming bacteria; and this biofilm can be used to bond grains of sand into a microbial sandstone. Additional experimentation was performed to test the compressive strength of the material samples.
The results of the research establish a methodology for the production of the material in a laboratory. The compressive test on a small scale was the final element of this study. There is potential for extending this research of the properties of this material through increases of scale and through reconsidering the potential for strengthening of the material through process refinement.