Biodesign: Living architecture and interior design

We always had inspiration around us: in nature. That is, in a very summarized way, the essence of biodesign, a discipline that, as its name indicates, combines living beings, life, with design. But what does this mean exactly? What are its main applications? Can it be used for sustainable architecture or more innovative interior design?

 

What is biodesign?

Biodesign seeks inspiration from nature but goes beyond aesthetics: instead of simply copying or imitating living beings (like an airplane resembles a bird), biodesign projects integrate them. Fungi, algae or bacteria, among many other organisms, can form an intrinsic part of the products of this discipline, which become, in a certain way, living beings as well.

Although seeking inspiration from nature is something we have been doing for centuries, the origins of biodesign itself date back to the late 20th century, when the book Biomimicry by Janine Benyus was published. However, the first definition of the term did not come until 2012, when author and design expert William Myers published, with the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA), Bio Design: Nature + Science + Creativity . The volume, which featured projects “that integrate biology in original ways, often to improve ecological performance,” kicked off the movement.

In the introduction, he defined biodesign as follows: “Unlike biomimicry , cradle -to-cradle , and the popular but frustratingly vague ‘green design ,’ biodesign refers specifically to the incorporation of living organisms or ecosystems as essential components, enhancing the function of the final work”. It should also not be confused with biophilia, which refers more to the search for a connection with nature than to the integration of living organisms (both philosophies, however, can coexist in the same space).

Biodesign has already been used in many sectors. From medicine, with the creation of organs that allow us to depend less on donations, to the textile and fashion industry, with the development of fabrics that, for example, are 100% biodegradable. Numerous applications of biodesign are also being seen in energy and agriculture. And, of course, in architecture and interior design.

 

Biodesign in architecture

At House of Biodesign, a London-based collective that seeks to inform and raise awareness, they say that the principles of biodesign are four: sustainability, interdisciplinary collaboration, biomimicry and human-centred design. All of this can also be transferred to the world of architecture, especially using biomaterials and sustainable construction practices.

Thus, we find constructions that, for example, use mycelium (a component of fungi), a material that is organic and biodegradable. An example of this was Hy-Fi, towers built with bricks that had been grown from reeds and this part of the fungus. The project, winner of the MoMA Young Architects Program competition in 2014, is not only alive, sustainable in its construction and providing shelter from the heat, but also completely biodegradable. That is, it will not leave a trace.

 

Biodesign in interior design

“In both architecture and interior design, we adapt biodesign by creating spaces with furniture made from natural materials,” summarises Cristina Cruz Delgado, interior architect and professor of the Degree in Interior Design at the International University of La Rioja (UNIR). “In interiors, we have used cardboard furniture, making tables, chairs and creating spaces only with recycled pieces. On the other hand, we also find vertical gardens that we include in exterior and interior designs,” he explains.

Furniture is the main place of experimentation with biodesign in interiors. Beyond the use of natural materials that the expert mentioned, mushroom-based proposals also make headlines and win competitions here. Also, in 2024, iF Design’s Design Student Award went to MYCOsella Viridis, a mycelium chair.

 

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Biodesigner Gavin Munro, who we talked about in Connections by Finsa, has been cultivating furniture for a long time, from seed to the final product, which can take years to be ready and is always unique.

 

Materials for biodesign

Beyond the benefits of fungi, biodesign also frequently resorts to the properties of algae and many microbes. The former absorbs carbon dioxide and produces oxygen, so using them in construction is equivalent to planting trees. The latter are present in materials such as biocements that self-repair: when they detect a crack due to the entry of water, the spores with which it is sown react by growing and covering the fissure.

In the section on natural materials in biodesign, wood, with its sustainability advantages, also plays a central role. However, they are not just any wood either: examples such as Superpan H Tech P5 EZ and Superpan Vapourstop EZ, structural boards resistant to humidity and bending, can replace plasterboard in partitions and roofs. Indoors, boards such as Fibrapan BIO, made from medium-density fibres and manufactured with Bio based glues, without added formaldehyde and with a bio-based paraffin, are also solutions that are allies of bio-designers. For outdoor use, Finsa Infinite Tricoya is a fibreboard made from acetylated wood with extraordinary durability (guaranteed for 50 years or 25 in contact with the ground), high dimensional stability and minimal swelling.

 

Challenges of biodesign

If biodesign is so good, so promising and, in some ways, so essential to addressing the climate crisis, why is it not yet the first strategy considered when constructing buildings or designing their interiors? “We usually encounter the main drawback, which is the initial cost, since all these materials, as well as the technologies associated with them, tend to be very expensive”, says Cruz Delgado. The expert also attributes the difficulties in their application to “the lack of information about these materials.”

 

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On the other hand, The Oxford Scientist magazine highlights that biodesign, by using living organisms, also faces some ethical challenges, and some people wonder whether it is not another form of exploitation of the human species over the living beings with which it coexists. However, given that biodesign can partially help repair some of the damage inflicted on the environment, these ethical considerations are not getting much traction.

The UNIR professor adds one last pending issue: “Training both architecture and interior design professionals would help to raise awareness among the end client about its benefits,” she concludes.  If biodesign is the future, it is necessary to start investing in it as soon as possible.