MYCOLOGY LAB

Year: 2022

Instructor: Herwig Baumgartner

Partner: Xinyuan Yue

The studio is undertaking the design of a 150,000-square-foot BIO-TECH building in El Segundo, Los Angeles County. This project entails considering the interests of various stakeholders in this evolving building type.

Aligned with the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, Company Bio, founded by the United Nations, seeks to replicate fungi’s efficient carbon absorption behavior. Clean energy can be generated by collecting and processing excess carbon from the environment, particularly greenhouse gases. Research shows that fungi in the soil facilitate carbon transportation through plant root systems. Drawing inspiration from this research, the building aims to create an interconnected research office environment, promoting efficiency and collaboration. Interconnectivity serves as a guiding principle in spatial organization.

To visually convey the concept of carbon absorption and conversion into oxygen, inspired by fungi, we utilize a Generative Adversarial Network to train images that merge fungi and laboratory interiors. This forms the basis for designing a suspended robotic machine, representing the building’s key mechanism. The machine symbolizes the integration of natureinspired processes and advanced technology.

Our design approach utilizes the concept of “chunk interaction” to foster seamless integration between different functional areas, bridging the gap between human and non-human spaces. The building is divided into two equal parts: solid and void spaces, each comprising 50% of the overall volume. The solid spaces house laboratories, research centers, and exhibition halls, while the void spaces serve as large meeting areas and main discussion zones. At the research center, scientists follow the lead of biomimetic machines to explore the transformation process. Fungal biomimetics replicate the mechanism by which fungi collect carbon in a zero-gravity laboratory, storing it as energy capsules to develop new clean energy sources and plant nutrients. In the bio lab, researchers investigate how fungi utilize ecological networks to connect plants and transport carbon as nutrients.