# Architecture That Invites Nature as a Co-Designer Experimental projects allow environmental forces and biological organisms to shape structural forms. - **Source:** [architecture archives | designboom | architecture & design magazine](https://brifing.si/source/1e716da2-18e6-4704-96a6-818e7860b99f) - **Published:** 2026-11-05 - **Topic:** [culture](https://brifing.si/c/culture) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/152db0e1-f8c9-4110-9a77-61eebd3083bb ## Redefining Architectural Control Traditional architecture focuses on shielding structures from natural forces like rain, wind, and temperature. However, a new wave of experimental projects treats these environmental conditions as active design participants. By relinquishing total control, architects allow nature to physically shape, build, or eventually dissolve their creations, fostering a dynamic relationship with the surrounding landscape. ## Dissolving Salt Structures In 2017, the studio stpmj constructed a vault on Jeju Island using rose-colored salt bricks and cement mortar. As the summer rainy season progressed, the salt bricks gradually dissolved, leaving behind a delicate mortar lattice. This process transformed a solid wall into a porous structure, letting the island's climate finalize the design. ## Biopolymers and Material Lifespans Neri Oxman and MIT’s Mediated Matter Group developed Aguahoja I, a five-meter-tall pavilion made from organic biopolymers like cellulose and chitosan. Unlike conventional materials, this structure is designed to break down when exposed to water. The project treats the eventual disappearance of the building as a fundamental component of its initial design. ## Freezing as a Construction Tool Architects Alejandro Felix and Fang Cui utilized Winnipeg’s winter temperatures to build a temporary shelter on the Assiniboine River in 2023. By pumping water over a timber frame, they allowed icicles to form thick, translucent walls. The structure grew and thinned as temperatures fluctuated, physically manifesting the local winter climate in its form. ## Tidal Dynamics in Philadelphia The FloatLab project by Höweler + Yoon Architecture features a 75-foot-wide steel ring on the Schuylkill River. Designed to rise and fall with tidal cycles, the structure uses a buoyancy system to navigate fluctuations of five to seven feet. It establishes a continuous, rhythmic relationship between the built environment and the moving water. ## Wind and Gravity Sculpting The studio i/thee has explored using natural forces to determine geometry. Their Ghost House project used desert winds to shape canvas sheets before adhesive hardened, while the Puddle Pavilion utilized gravity to spread bio-resin across the ground. These methods allow liquid materials and atmospheric gusts to dictate the final, irregular architectural forms. ## Interspecies Collaborative Construction Silk Pavilion II, developed by Neri Oxman, involved 17,532 silkworms in the construction process. Guided by a rotating apparatus and environmental cues like light and temperature, the insects spun silk layers onto a steel framework. This project demonstrates how human-designed infrastructure can serve as a canvas for biological organisms to contribute to architecture. ## Shifting the Human Perspective These seven experiments challenge the notion that humans must be the sole measure of all things. By integrating regenerative landscapes and living materials, these architects propose a post-human utopia. The final form of these structures is no longer fixed by the designer, but emerges through collaboration with the planet’s natural, biological systems. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.designboom.com/architecture/nature-take-over-dissolving-walls-insect-built-pavilions/ — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._