How ecoLogicStudio Uses Living Organisms to Build Better Spaces for Living
Integrating algae and fungi into architectural design to create regenerative, carbon-consuming living environments.
1Redefining Architectural Living Spaces
London-based ecoLogicStudio, founded by Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto, pioneers biotic architecture by integrating living organisms into built environments. Their recent project, DeepForest³, showcased at the 2025 Triennale Design Museum, demonstrates how domestic spaces can function as metabolic systems. This approach moves beyond traditional construction, treating buildings as active, breathing, and carbon-consuming entities.
2The Urban Algae Folly
Debuting at the EXPO Milano 2015, the Urban Algae Folly utilized Spirulina microalgae within triangular panels to provide shade. This system created a symbiotic relationship where human CO2 emissions fed the algae, which in turn purified the air. It established the studio’s core philosophy: architecture should collaborate with microbial life rather than exclude it.
3Biotechnological Healthcare in Nyon
The AirBubble in Nyon, Switzerland, represents the world’s first biotechnological healthcare garden. It features 36 borosilicate glass bioreactors containing 350 liters of Chlorella algae, capable of filtering 150 liters of polluted air per minute. This project challenges the necessity of sterile environments, positioning living organisms as essential, functional infrastructure for human health.
4Cyber Gardening with CryoflorE
Developed with the University of Innsbruck for the 2025 Solar Biennial, CryoflorE explores bio-solar energy networks. The model uses cyanobacteria to capture electrons from photosynthesis, channeling them into copper wires embedded in a miniature cityscape. This project demonstrates the potential for cities to generate their own energy through integrated biological and technological systems.
5Anatomy of the DeepForest³
DeepForest³ features 3D-printed bark-like shells made from algae biopolymers that host living mycelium networks. These structures, fed by coffee grounds, act as natural insulation. Glass containers holding 50 liters of cyanobacteria serve as active filters, while carbon storers digest waste. The installation functions as a living, digesting, and filtering environment.
6Challenging Architectural Sterility
The studio’s work aligns with the book We the Bacteria by Beatriz Colomina and Mark Wigley. The authors argue that the modern impulse to eradicate germs and grime threatens planetary health. By advocating for designs that embrace microbial life, they provide a theoretical framework for ecoLogicStudio’s practical, nature-integrated architectural experiments.
7Shifting Human-Nature Dynamics
EcoLogicStudio’s practice suggests that architecture can support ecological processes rather than just human needs. By treating algae and fungi as active agents, they dismantle the separation between the built environment and the living world. This mutualism ensures that human well-being remains fundamentally inseparable from the health of the broader, more-than-human ecosystem.
8Cyborgian Identity and Homes
Claudia Pasquero emphasizes that human nature is inherently cyborgian and collective, extending beyond physical bodies. Consequently, our homes must function as extensions of our microbial ecosystems and algorithmic networks. This perspective redefines the home as a microbiome, where technology and organic processes coexist to create a more sustainable, responsive living space.
9Future of Regenerative Design
As part of the POSTHUMAN UTOPIAS series, these projects highlight a shift where humans are no longer the sole measure of design. By leveraging interspecies architecture and regenerative landscapes, ecoLogicStudio proposes a future where buildings actively contribute to environmental restoration. This evolution in design thinking marks a departure from traditional, static construction methods.