Syn.de.Bio is a network of designers, artists and scientists who employ novel design methods and innovative fabrication techniques to explore and manipulate biological material.
Computational Seeding of Bio-Receptive Materials is an interdisciplinary research proposal that brings together a design team with high expertise in architecture, biology and engineering. It aims to develop an innovative wall-panel system capable of growing microorganisms directly on its surface. By utilizing novel design engineering methods the research seeks to improve facade performance through […]
Architecture today is seen as something static and unresponsive. However it is time to take a hint from biology and allow our buildings to grow, adapt and self repair. With a strong focus on mycelium, I have created an algorithmic bio scaffold, choreographing the growth and decay of this organic material. Sourcing inspiration form […]
In the public square of the EXPO Milano 2015 Future Food District are on show some of the most interesting and innovative solutions of building integrated urban agriculture. The Urban Algae Folly, designed by ecoLogicStudio and located at the District’s entrance, is an interactive pavilion integrating living micro-algal cultures, a built example of architecture’s […]
Fog Garden proposes to harness the biological and technical natures of water to transform a neglected pedestrian entry tunnel to Ljubljana’s Tivoli Park into a place of multi-sensory delight through the use of fogponics: growing plants with fog. Adjacent to the National Gallery at the end of Puharjeva cesta, a network of pipes draw water […]
***Speakers Video’s are available to view here now*** Symposium 01 is the first public event with talks from various network members around the world held at the Bartlett School of Architecture, London. For more information see the eevnts page or email info@syndebio.com The event was held on: JUNE 6TH \\ @ The Bartlett […]
Algae is the seemingly unlikely term that is being discussed at the heart of EXPO Milano 2015. As part of the Future Food District project, curated by Carlo Ratti Associati at the central crossroads of the EXPO site, a new vision of future bio-digital architectures powered by microalgae organisms has been proposed by the […]
Faulders Studio collaborated with Sarah Eppley/Eppley Lab, Portland State University, OR, to develop a process for visualizing living bryophyte growth stages. These cultures further investigate our Bryophyte Building project, designed as an exterior building skin that absorbs airborne moss spores. After isolating individual Ceratodon purpureus (Fire Moss) spores, Eppley Lab cultivated the growths for […]
Part of the London Olympic 2012 Event, Alga(e)zebo is one of a number of temporary pavilions unveiled in the city. Located at Euston Square Gardens, this installation consists of a large decorative canopy-structure, a Gazebo. The concept of the Gazebo follows an English tradition in which such filigree construction becomes a jewel that punctuates […]
Concrete is one of the main materials used in the construction industry, from the foundation of buildings to the structure of bridges and underground parking lots. The problem with traditional concrete however is the formation of cracks. This has negative consequences for the durability of the material. Instead of costly humans having to maintain […]
Camouflaged Fortress Sportplaza Mercator is designed as an overgrown, camouflaged fortress next to the entrance of the city of Amsterdam. Both roof and elevations are covered with fifty different species of plants, varying from Lady’s mantle to trees such as willow and birch. Over the years this will develop into a wild and lush […]
This visionary “Case Study House” featuring the first algae bioreactor façade world-wide was realised in the frame of the International Building Exhibition (IBA) in Hamburg in 2012 and 2013. As a “Smart Material House”, it combines intelligent materials and technologies with new typologies of living. Photo © Colt International, Arup Deutschland, SSC GmbH […]
‘HORTUS.PARIS’, part of the Alive exhibition at EDF Foundation in Paris, is a new gardening prototype designed to stimulate the emergence of novel material practices and related spatial narratives; the proto-garden hosts micro- and macro-algal organisms and is fitted with ambient light, sensing technologies and a custom-designed virtual interface. ‘HORTUS.PARIS’ proposes an experimental, hands-on […]
In 2010, scientists from Yansei and Stanford University pioneered a technique by where 30-nanometre wide gold electrodes were inserted into the photosynthesising organs – chloroplasts – of algal cells, thus managing to draw a small electrical current from algae during photosynthesis. As advances in nanotechnology lead to increasingly energy efficient products, plant life such […]
Non-sterile and Algaetecture collectively embrace a series of studies, experiments and constructions that set out to explore micro-organic material and microbiological processes as prospective components and tools for design. The incorporation and application of microbial activity, its associated environmental modification capabilities and resultant material product, along with the extensive aesthetic considerations, offers immense potential […]
Ecovative is a material science company developing a new class of home-compostable bioplastics based on mycelium, a living organism. Mushroom Materials are high-performance, environmentally responsible alternatives to traditional plastic foam packaging, insulation, and other synthetic materials. Ecovative use mycelium, which is the vegetative growth stage of fungi. Spores are produced by the fruiting body […]
The ‘Algaerium Bioprinter’ envisions how microalgal cells can be grown and digitally printed for production of ‘fresh’ food supplements, organic dyes on paper, and printable biological solar batteries. The solar battery application is based on my current laboratory collaboration with biochemists working in bioenergy from microalgae. This Bioprinter concept is backed up by our […]
Exhibition installation at ARCHILAB 2013 – Naturalizing Architecture, FRAC Centre, Orleans France. The installation is an ornamental wall structure for external use composed of numerous cellular components that work as a scaffold for algae to grow. The patterns have multiple patterns with gaps and crevices that aim for a gradual involvement of […]
The project Contaminant collectively describes a series of investigative studies culminating in a responsive architectural installation. Rather than considering the ability of micro-organisms to modify their immediate environment, as with previous work such as Algaetecture and Nonsterile; the objective of this study was to investigate the monitoring capabilities of an installation deliberately designed to […]
AqvaGarden is an artificial garden that functions as a rain water distribution and collection system. Unlike conventional recycling systems, AG doesn’t hide its functional apparatus, rather it embodies it in its structured matrix, the branching system. Moreover AG operates as a cooling system through the evaporation of the trickling water. Rain water becomes the […]