The construction and maintenance of buildings that shape our cities today are a significant source of greenhouse gases. Structures built with traditional materials, in addition to their initial environmental costs, often fail to adapt to change. These structures end up being dismantled in a costly and materially inefficient manner at the end of their lifespan. Energy and material inefficiency in construction has driven the search for a new generation of sustainable and environmentally conscious architecture.
In this context, “living architecture” has emerged, treating buildings as organisms that actively interact with, respond to, transform, and even produce within biological systems. This approach challenges harmful, human-centered design by promoting architecture that is more ecological, time-aware, and ethically responsible.
Algae Building System
One of the most interesting examples of this shift is the integration of microalgae into architectural systems that use light energy to convert water and CO₂ into organic compounds and oxygen. Due to their rapid growth rates and high content of nutrients and bioactive compounds, microalgae are utilized in various sectors, including cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, food, bioenergy, and, more recently, architecture.
Microalgae have become part of architectural systems by growing in diverse aquatic habitats and adapting to a wide range of environmental conditions, providing functions such as CO₂ absorption, oxygen production, shading, and climate regulation. With functions such as phytoremediation and biomass production, microalgae systems offer significant advantages when integrated into urban green buildings.
Liquid Trees System: Photobioreactors
The role of trees in life is also crucial. By storing excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, trees combat climate change, produce oxygen, and capture particles to clean the air. However, trees need a large area and fertile soil to grow healthily. But some cities are not suitable for trees due to their infertile soil and limited space, making it impossible for long-lived trees to grow. Therefore, researchers are searching for systems like photobioreactors that can provide the benefits of trees without requiring actual trees.
Photobioreactors are enclosed, illuminated systems containing large numbers of small photosynthetic organisms. These systems remove carbon dioxide from the surrounding environment while releasing oxygen into the air. As water passes through the reactors, algae filter pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorus, aiding in wastewater treatment. Algae grown in photobioreactors can be produced efficiently and in a controlled manner without requiring large areas or fertile soil. Thus, they are seen as the future of trees in large cities where trees struggle to grow.
Developed in Serbia, the photobioreactor known as LIQUID-3 utilizes a single-celled algal species native to the region. Capable of photosynthesizing year-round at both high and low temperatures, a 600-liter tank of these algae can cover an area roughly the size of a park bench and do the work of two 10-year-old trees or 200 m² of lawn. It can also be used as a streetlight or phone charging station thanks to its solar panel.
Offering a rapid, short-term response to urgent air pollution and air quality challenges, LIQUID-3 begins purifying the air immediately after installation and requires significantly less maintenance than trees. The only maintenance required for these customizable photobioreactors is the removal of some of the growing algae every 6 weeks, and this excess can be used as fertilizer.
Mycelium Architecture
Fungi are found everywhere, from the air and water to our bodies and trees, and they play a key role as nature’s main recyclers. Typically growing well in shady and humid environments, fungi develop long, thread-like roots called mycelium beneath the surface. Mycelium is a fine white filament that grows quickly in all directions, forming a dense network that acts like a natural adhesive, binding the substrate into a solid block.
Due to its biomaterial potential, mycelium has gained increasing attention in the architectural field over the past few years. Edible, biodegradable, lightweight, and possessing high insulation performance, mycelium offers a promising step toward an architectural vision aligned with nature. Compared to conventional construction materials, mycelium-based materials naturally decompose at the end of their service life without leaving behind hazardous residues or pollutants.
A viable option in the search for ecologically friendly and sustainable building materials, mycelium can be molded to produce insulation panels, furniture, accessories, fabrics, and
How These Projects Define Living Architecture
1. BIQ House
Located in Hamburg, Germany, the BIQ House apartment block boasts the world’s first biologically adaptable facade, generating heat and biomass through microalgae embedded in its facade. Introduced as part of an international building fair, the house was designed by the Austrian firm Splitterwerk in collaboration with Arup, the German firm Strategic Science Consult, and Colt International.
The building’s patented SolarLeaf façade system consists of 129 photobioreactors that give the structure its distinctive green appearance while providing high energy efficiency and multiple environmental benefits.
The microalgae-based bioreactors are built into panels on the southeast and southwest facades of BIQ House and around its spacious loggias, where residents can easily observe them. Housed in slim glass panels containing algae sourced from a nearby branch of the Elbe River, the system creates a dynamic architectural surface characterized by constant movement and continuously changing shades of green.
The 200 m² façade system is installed as a secondary structure on the southwest and southeast elevations. It is composed of clusters of three to five transparent glass containers, each 2.5 meters high and 0.7 meters wide, known as flat-panel photobioreactors (PBRs). These contain water and nutrients in which the microalgae circulate, absorb light and carbon, and produce biomass.
In addition to generating heat and biomass, the system functions as a shading device, regulates daylight, and absorbs CO₂ emissions. Using sunlight, algae can grow through photosynthesis. Since they spend all their energy converting light into chemical energy, algae grow approximately 10 times faster than larger plants.
2. Tree One
Tree One is a ten-meter-high, photosynthetic architectural structure developed by ecoLogicStudio and exhibited in two exhibitions held at Hyundai’s studios in South Korea. The project transforms algae into a biodegradable polymer, which is then used to fabricate a tree-like structure capable of performing photosynthesis.
Produced with a 3D printer, this tree has the same capturing potential as 12 mature trees, releasing oxygen into the atmosphere while re-metabolizing carbon molecules and storing them in its trunk and canopy. The canopy, produced with high-resolution 3D printing, traps the captured CO₂ molecules in a decorative structure that acts as a carbon sink that shades an area of over 25 m².
Tree One incorporates two algae-based components. The 3D-printed trunk is made from a biopolymer formulated from biomass derived from harvested microalgae. A series of photobioreactors containing live cyanidium microalgae cultures is integrated into the trunk and the base of the installation.
Inspired by the air-purifying power of algae, Tree One is designed using 40 photobioreactors containing 500 liters of algae culture that draw carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen as they grow. This allows it to actively photosynthesize.
3. The Growing Pavilion
Designed by Biobased Creations in collaboration with Dutch Design Week and the Floriade Expo in 2019, The Growing Pavilion was constructed in Almere, the Netherlands. Showcasing bio-based materials and sustainable construction practices, the structure is a prominent example of mycelium architecture. The structure is supported by a timber frame, while its exterior panels and roof were grown from fungi, with the mycelium in their root systems providing structural strength.
As a result, the pavilion achieves excellent thermal insulation and acoustic performance, demonstrating how biologically grown materials can function as high-performance architectural components.
