ecoLogicStudio | architecture and urban design news and projects

ecoLogicStudio reimagines domesticity through microbial installation at triennale milano

ecoLogicStudio — Thu, 29 May 2025 18:00:05 +0000

DeepForest³ reimagines Forest ecologies at domestic scale

DeepForest³ is a microbial architectural installation developed by ecoLogicStudio in collaboration with the University of Innsbruck and the Bartlett UCL. The project is part of the We the Bacteria: Notes Toward Biotic Architecture exhibition at the 24th International Exposition of La Triennale di Milano, curated by Beatriz Colomina and Mark Wigley. The installation proposes a domestic space structured as an active microbial ecosystem. It utilizes biotechnological systems to establish a functional relationship between architecture, biological processes, and environmental conditions. The spatial arrangement includes components that perform photosynthesis, biodegradation, and carbon storage, forming an integrated biotic infrastructure.

At the center of the installation are three types of architectural components: Photosynthesizers, Biodegraders, and Carbon storers. Photosynthesizers, filled with 50 liters of living cyanobacteria, actively capture CO₂ from the gallery environment and convert it into oxygen and biomass. These glass vessels are arranged to form a breathable membrane, both wall and filter, alive with metabolic activity. Biodegraders, built from 3D printed bark-like shells made of algae biopolymers, host living mycelium networks. These fungi feed on spent coffee grounds, a readily available urban waste, and grow into dense, fibrous forms that line the space like living insulation, mimicking salvaged birch trunks but grown from synthetic matter. Carbon storers, such as reclaimed wood elements and active lichen colonies, integrate with these systems to stabilize and reframe the aesthetics of waste as beauty, turning the byproducts of decay into architectural ornament.

all images by Xiao Wang, courtesy of ecoLogicStudio and the Synthetic Landscape Lab

ecoLogicStudio merges biology with digital fabrication

The design strategy followed by ecoLogicStudio’s team aligns the architectural system with Italy’s history of landscape engineering, drawing a comparison between historical interventions and microbial resilience. The spatial configuration compresses forest ecologies into a controlled interior scale. Floor and wall assemblies incorporate engraved and porous substrates, enabling air exchange, moisture retention, and microbial colonization. ‘We are now more and more aware that our own nature is cyborgian and collective, and that our own identities extend far beyond the limits of our bodies. We are microbial ecosystems, we are algorithmic networks. It is a necessary consequence that our home becomes an extension of these ecosystems and networks. Our home is our microbiome,’ shares Prof. Claudia Pasquero.

The installation emphasizes visibility of technical systems. Algae growth chambers, mycelial substrates, air and CO₂ pumps remain exposed, functioning as both operative systems and formal features. This approach integrates the mechanical and biological processes into the architectural language rather than concealing them. ‘The installation aims to celebrate the first time microbial architecture enters the Italian temple of design, the Milano Triennale. I think this is an epochal moment. For this reason, we took great care in its design and detailing. DeepForest³ is really more than just a temporary installation, it delivers a fully functional and tangible biotechnological living system, grounded in the metabolic cycles of algae and fungi, but brought to life through bespoke digital design and unique material craftsmanship,’ comments Dr. Marco Poletto.

DeepForest³ installation presented at the 24th International Exposition of La Triennale di Milano

DeepForest³ exhibits open-source biotechnological integration

A secondary feature of the installation is the Zolla bench, made from modular cork blocks and honeycomb cardboard base. The bench is designed for live mycelium cultivation, which gradually transforms the surface through colonization and mushroom growth. This component demonstrates real-time material transformation and user interaction with biologically active surfaces. The installation supports cyclical material use, passive environmental modulation, and open-source system integration. It is conceived as a domestic prototype for future biotechnological applications in architecture, emphasizing accessible and distributed cultivation of photosynthetic and fungal organisms within built environments.

DeepForest³ forms part of an ongoing research initiative by ecoLogicStudio and the Synthetic Landscape Lab. Parallel projects include Tree.One, Bio.Lab, FundamentAI, and CryoflorE, which extend this inquiry across multiple international venues including the Venice Architecture Biennale, Bundeskunsthalle Bonn, and MUDAC Lausanne. The installation opens to the public on May 12th, 2025.

visible systems turn the walls into a living, cyber-organic laboratory

air pumps circulate air and CO₂, supporting algae and mycelium growth

engaged with the living installation

Carbon storer made from reclaimed trees and 3d printed barks

Photosynthesizers and AIReactor in action

Zolla bench is composed of mycelium colonizing cork, with mushrooms starting to sprout

project info:

name: DeepForest³

designer: ecoLogicStudio | @ecologicstudio

location: Milan, Italy

lead designers: Prof. Claudia Pasquero, Dr. Marco Poletto

commissioner: Triennale di Milano

exhibition curators: Beatriz Colomina and Mark Wigley

academic partners: Synthetic Landscape Lab IOUD Innsbruck University, Urban Morphogenesis Lab BPRO The Bartlett UCL

design team: Prof. Claudia Pasquero, Dr. Marco Poletto, Jasper Zehetgruber, Francesca Turi, Alessandra Poletto

prototyping support team: Jonas Wohlgenannt, Korbinian Enzinger, Felix Humml, Bo Liu, Mika Schulz, Michael Unterberger, Marco Matteraglia, Beyza Nur Armağan, Beatriz Gonzalez Arechiga and Xiao Wang

photographer: Xiao Wang

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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ecoLogicStudio unveils AI system for environmentally responsive urbanism at venice biennale

ecoLogicStudio — Tue, 13 May 2025 17:00:41 +0000

FundamentAI explores Responsive Urban Design at Venice Biennale

At the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, ecoLogicStudio presents FundamentAI, a collaborative installation developed with the Synthetic Landscape Lab at Innsbruck University and the Urban Morphogenesis Lab at the Bartlett, UCL. The project explores the intersection of architecture, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence through the lens of Venice’s unique lagoon ecosystem.

Installed at the Arsenale, FundamentAI proposes a new model for urban design that includes real-time ecological data as a driver for architectural formation. The installation integrates environmental signals, particularly from lagoon microorganisms, with generative design processes enabled by multimodal AI systems. Its design references Venice’s traditional wooden ‘bricole’ foundation poles, reinterpreted as bio-fabricated, biodegradable 3D printed columns embedded with responsive technology. The project employs a participatory design interface, allowing visitors to contribute images and texts that are interpreted by AI models to generate urban forms. This system incorporates several AI technologies: DeepSeek-R1 and GPT-4o for image and text analysis; FLUX.1-dev on ComfyUI for image generation; TRELLIS for 3D modeling; and Kling AI for animation output. These tools collectively produce adaptive, AI-mediated architectural responses that are informed by both user input and environmental data, such as acidity levels and microbial activity in the lagoon.

FundamentAI installation at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale | all images courtesy of ecoLogicStudio and the Synthetic Landscape Lab

Microbial Signals and AI Shape Immersive 3D printed installation

Architecturally, the installation includes a full-scale immersive environment featuring 3D printed columns made from biodegradable material. These elements are designed using origination points from microbial and climatic signals in the Venetian lagoon. They respond to changing environmental conditions with subtle lighting effects powered by an AI video system, visually encoding data streams such as light, acidity, and microbial growth into atmospheric shifts within the space.

FundamentAI, a collaborative initiative by architecture innovation firm ecoLogicStudio, Synthetic Landscape Lab at Innsbruck University, and the Urban Morphogenesis Lab at the Bartlett, UCL, aims to reframe foundational urban elements as symbiotic and ecologically attuned rather than static or anthropocentric. The installation treats the lagoon not only as a geographic context but also as an active participant in the design process. Ecological data is captured, processed, and translated into form, giving the lagoon agency within the architectural narrative. FundamentAI also introduces the ‘Capsule Urbanism’ concept, an approach to urban design that incorporates compact, modular, and ecologically responsive elements. The installation uses capsule-scale fabrication as a testbed for ideas that could scale to broader urban contexts, particularly in coastal areas facing environmental precarity.

the installation explores architecture shaped by AI and microbial signals from the Venetian lagoon

Expanding Public Participation in Design Through AI-Driven Tools

One of the central ambitions of the project is to demonstrate how AI tools can expand public participation in urban planning. By scanning a QR code, visitors are invited to upload photographs of their surroundings in Venice. The system processes these visual inputs to generate speculative urban models that are visually and structurally informed by both user data and real-time environmental feedback from the lagoon. While rooted in Venice’s history and material culture, FundamentAI is conceived as a globally relevant framework, particularly for cities in the Global South facing rapid urbanization and ecological vulnerability. The adaptive design method allows for responsive, data-integrated planning that accommodates non-human actors and environmental variability, potentially offering new strategies for climate-resilient development.

Beyond its exhibition at the Venice Biennale, the project forms part of a broader research trajectory by ecoLogicStudio and its partners. Related upcoming projects include DeepForestCube, to be presented at the Triennale International Exhibition 2025, and Tree.One with the BioLab, scheduled for launch at the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn in June 2025.

3D printed biodegradable columns reinterpret Venice’s traditional bricole foundations

generative AI processes respond to real-time environmental data like acidity and light

interaction between the bio-fabricated columns and the video projection

close-up view of 3D printed sculptures in biopolymers

subtle lighting shifts reflect microbial activity and lagoon chemistry in real time

the installation transforms ecological data into physical design using AI-generated outputs

FundamentAI visualizes a participatory approach to future urban planning | video frame | image courtesy of FundamentAI

columns glow in sync with changes in environmental conditions | video frame | image courtesy of FundamentAI

the lagoon is both site and design input in this installation | video frame | image courtesy of FundamentAI

responsive design elements demonstrate AI’s potential in participatory urbanism | video frame | image courtesy of FundamentAI

QR code to interact with the Venetian Lagoon

project info:

name: FundamentAI
designer: ecoLogicStudio | @ecologicstudio, Synthetic Landscape Lab at Innsbruck University | @syntheticlandscapelab, Urban Morphogenesis Lab at the Bartlett UCL | @thebartlettucl

design team: Prof Claudia Pasquero, Dr Marco Poletto, Simon Meng, Haoyi Chen, Xiao Wang, Emmanouil Zaroukas, Jasper Zehetgruber, Francesca Turi, Beatriz Gonzales Arechiga, Alessandra Poletto, Mika Schulz, Micheal Unterberger, Bo Liu

curator: Carlo Ratti Associati | @crassociati

location: Venice, Italy

special thanks to: all students at the Synthetic Landscape Lab and the all-architectural faculty at Innsbruck University

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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ecoLogicStudio erects inflatable air-purifying eco-machine at COP26

myrto katsikopoulou I designboom — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 11:50:28 +0000

ecoLogicStudio raises ‘air bubble’ at cop26

following the air bubble biotechnological playground project built in warsaw, ecoLogicStudio now presents the air bubble air-purifying eco-machine, which has been installed in front of the glasgow science center within the COP26’s green zone area. the project takes shape as an inflatable structure made of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) pockets with embedded green bioreactors that use algae to filter the air. developed in partnership with otrivin, this new bio digital project demonstrates how the advanced integration of biotechnology in the built environment can lead to a new generation of living, growing architectures.

the air bubble was launched in front of the glasgow science center within the COP26’s green zone area

all images courtesy of ecoLogicStudio

a responsive air-purifying organism

ecoLogicStudio’s structure integrates a series of sensors that detect air quality within the bubble, as well as an array of accelerometers, sensing the wind and the vibrations caused by individuals who interact with the installation. these devices set off a responsive array of growth lighting that in turn supports algal photosynthesis thus increasing air purification. in other words, this bio-digital organism introduces a new kind of symbiosis where the more people play and jump in the bubble, the cleaner the air becomes.

with this project, the london-based studio seeks to encourage visitors, and especially children, to directly experience the air cleaning capabilities of microalgae cultures, while immersing themselves in a bubble of freshly metabolized oxygen. the playful and soft character of the organic structure reminds of a gigantic bouncy jellyfish, while serving as a direct manifestation of the biotechnology it incorporates.

jumping in the ‘air bubble’

easily deployable and eco-friendly

according to the creators, this air-purifying eco-machine contains 6,000 liters of water, supporting 200 liters of living chlorella cultures and filtering 100 liters of polluted urban air every minute. the air and water pressures are enclosed by a TPU membrane that is just 0.5mm thick and comprises only 5% in weight and 1% in volume of the entire construction. the strength of the structure derives from its three-dimensional cellular organization. to achieve this, the installation was completely unfolded into almost 100 CNC cut flat parts which were then welded in position to form a fully three-dimensional matrix of inflatable cells.

this process updates the traditional qualities of inflatable structures to create this newly introduced eco-machine. the resulting structure emerges as a responsive system, with air purifying capability, exceptional wind resistance, and unique deployability. the lightness of the empty membrane makes it uniquely low in embodied carbon and minimizes emissions associated with transportation, installation, and dismantling.

project info:

name: air bubble | air-purifying eco-machine
architects: ecoLogicStudio

The post ecoLogicStudio erects inflatable air-purifying eco-machine at COP26 appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

ecoLogicStudio’s ‘airbubble’ playground purifies the air with micro-algae cultures

kat barandy I designboom — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 06:45:23 +0000

london-based architecture and innovation firm ecoLogicStudio unveils ‘airbubble’ as the world’s first biotechnological playground to integrate air-purifying micro-algae. led by claudia pasquero and marco poletto, the project was designed for ‘otrivin breathe clean,’ an initiative which recognizes that 93% of the world’s children breathe polluted air while they play. according to the world health organization (WHO), air pollution is the biggest global health threat. ‘airbubble’ responds to the reality of our polluted atmosphere by introducing a purified microclimate for play — a true bubble of clean air in the center of warsaw.

images © maja wirkus

with its ‘airbubble’ playground, ecoLogicStudio integrates its photo.synthetica technology for the advanced integration of photosynthesis in the built environment. designed for otrivin breathe clean, airbubble invents a new architectural typology. it incorporates a cylindrical timber structure wrapped in an ETFE membrane protecting fifty-two glass algae reactors, creating an urban algae greenhouse. the space hosts ropes, foot pumps, and bouncy spheres, and can function as both playground and outdoor classroom. the white bubbling noise of the algae gardening system masks the surrounding urban noise to provide a calming atmosphere in which to play and interact.

the filtering process of the ecoLogicStudio-designed airbubble is enhanced by the architectural form of the structure. the ETFE membrane — an evolution of the photosynthetica urban curtain system presented in dublin in 2018 by ecologicstudio – controls the microclimate inside the playground. the inverted conical roof membrane further stimulates the air recirculation and natural ventilation, which in turn keeps the play area clean. airbubble occupies a public green space outside of warsaw’s copernicus science centre — a site which will also host a dedicated exhibition illustrating the design innovation behind the invention of the project.

the airbubble monitoring system integrates urban air pollution sensors and is connected to a data processing platform. this platform is capable of comparing measurements in real time and of highlighting the air quality index for six core pollutants: fine particulate PM2.5 and PM10, ground level ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and carbon monoxide (CO). airbubble is capable of absorbing 97% of the nitrogen and 75% of the particulate matter in the air.

early data collected in may 2021 shows concentrations of PM2.5 within the playground have fallen well within the recommended WHO limits (green zone, AQI below 20). the peak reduction rate is an impressive 83%. this figure has been calculated by comparing readings from a pollution sensor located outside airbubble with real-time data feeds from a monitoring device placed inside.  the monitoring phase will continue throughout the summer and into the autumn to verify these promising achievements over a longer period of time, under different climatic conditions and patterns of use.

over the next few months, airbubble will become a unique urban laboratory — a test bed of applied biotechnology and its application in tackling air pollution and in mitigating its effect on children’s health. the airbubble hosts fifty-two large bioreactors in borosilicate glass which contain 520 liters of living green chlorella sp algae cultures that can filter a flow of polluted air of 200 liters per minute. while the liquid medium washes particles, the algae actively eat the polluting molecules as well as carbon dioxide to then release fresh clean oxygen.

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Bit.Bio.Bot wants you to farm algae at home as protein source and to purify air

myrto katsikopoulou I designboom — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 08:50:46 +0000

at the venice architecture biennale 2021, ecoLogicStudio unveils the ‘Bit.Bio.Bot’ exhibition, educating visitors on domestic microalgae cultivation and encouraging them to grow it inside their own homes. created along with the synthetic landscape lab at innsbruck university and the urban morphogenesis lab at the bartlett UCL, the exhibition takes shape as an urban laboratory combining advanced architecture with microbiology. the project generates an artificial habitat, which actively showcases how cultivating algae in today’s urban sphere could facilitate air purification, carbon dioxide removal, access to sustainable food and alternative protein sources, as well as the establishment of a deeper connection between humans and nature.

image courtesy of marco cappelletti

Bit.Bio.Bot. functions based on the process of photosynthesis, powered by the sun and by the living culture metabolism of spirulina platensis and chlorella — which find themselves among the most nutritious organisms on earth and widely consumed as health supplements. ecoLogicStudio’s lab consists of three interlinked systems: the living cladding, the vertical garden, and the convivium. composed of ten photosynthetic curtains, the living cladding turns walls into efficient air purifiers. each curtain is three meters high and one meter wide, featuring 35 meters of digital welding, which forms a cavity capable of containing 7 liters of micro-algae cultures.