Published: 14 March 2026
Recently, researchers Ezgi Öğün Ramalhete, Işıl Yücel, and Jorge Barriuso were interviewed for a Q&A article in Nature Communications Biology about SPIKA, our prototype for microbe-mediated architecture, exhibited at the 23rd Milan Triennale 2025.
In the interview, they share what drew them to the project, the challenges of working at the intersection of microbiology, and design architecture, and what they learned from the public’s response.
Visitors don’t see a complicated bioreactor; they see a “living machine” that eats waste to help plants grow. This demystifies biotechnology and sparks imagination. …. It proves that regenerative design, when made tangible, can engage the public on both intellectual and emotional levels, which is a prerequisite for societal transformation. (Işıl Yücel)
They also reflect on the benefits of bringing microbiology and architecture together, describing it as a shift toward integrating living systems into the built environment.
One of our key insights is that for long-term resilience in open systems, we must understand and engineer ecological relationships. This microbial society is the true driver of a circular system. (Jorge Barriuso)
Where design meets biology: an interview on SPIKA, a prototype for microbe-mediated architecture. Commun Biol 9, 369 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-09795-5
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