tea pavilion by kong xiangwei studio floats like a silver feather in chinese rainforest

Kong Xiangwei Studio reclaims forest ruin in china

Tucked within the ancient mist-cloaked ridges of Yunnan’s Wuliang Mountains in China, the Phoenix Feather Tea Pavilion by Kong Xiangwei Studio emerges like a silver plume resting gently in the trees. Located on Phoenix Mountain at an elevation of 2,380 meters, the structure perches within a 1,300-acre tea-tourism sanctuary in Bixi Township, Dali Prefecture, a region famed not only for its tea but also as one of China’s vital migratory bird corridors. Every autumn, tens of thousands of birds descend along this ancient route, echoing the mythical image of ‘a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix.’

With a design language they describe as a ‘light touch on the earth,’ Kong Xiangwei Studio translates the delicate form of the feather into a forest pavilion for birdwatching and reflection. Using slender 14-millimeter galvanized steel rods, the architects trace linear paths through the landscape, their placement mimicking the silver pheasant’s legs as they rise into a sweeping hyperbolic arc, mirroring the gentle curve of a feather midair.

all images by Archi-translator Photography, Kong Xiangwei Studio

a feather touching the earth

It was in a forgotten valley west of a tea homestay – where remnants of earthen dwellings quietly erode into the forest – that inspiration struck the team of Kong Xiangwei Studio. A white silver pheasant’s feather, delicately patterned and edged in silver, landed on the mossy ground like a natural design sketch. This moment sparked the concept of a structure that could echo the lightness, grace, and poetic presence of the bird itself.

The southern end of the pavilion grounds itself with a tea bar and platform, while the eastern tip is supported by only a handful of rods. This subtle shift in structural density creates a sense of suspension, as though the entire frame is caught hovering between sky and forest floor. Clad in silver metallic paint, the steel rods become reactive surfaces for the constantly changing Yunnan sky. Mist tints them in soft blues, sunsets wash them in pinks and purples, and nighttime warmth floods the frame with golden tones, resulting in a feather that never quite looks the same.

the Phoenix Feather Tea Pavilion emerges like a silver plume resting gently in the trees

Phoenix Feather Tea Pavilion mirrors mist and light

Carefully positioned among ancient trees, Kong Xiangwei Studio’s Phoenix Feather Tea Pavilion avoids disturbing its surroundings. The presence of the structure is restrained, composed of a curved steel canopy that slices the sky into a grid of linear apertures, intensifying the experience of looking up, while an end table on the west opens toward dense rainforest, framing the wilderness.

Inside the open-air structure, birdwatchers sit in contemplative silence, gazing outward while also becoming part of the forest’s ongoing rhythms. The architecture itself becomes both frame and participant – intertwined with mist, birdsong, dappled light, and rustling branches. In this shared act of seeing, boundaries dissolve between observer and observed.

More than a scenic rest stop, the Phoenix Feather Tea Pavilion becomes a spiritual threshold, one that honors a millennia-old bird sanctuary. Hovering like a feather caught mid-fall, it invites quiet communion with nature through lightness.

the structure perches within a 1,300-acre tea-tourism sanctuary in Bixi Township

echoing the lightness, grace, and poetic presence

Kong Xiangwei Studio translates the delicate form of the feather into a forest pavilion for birdwatching and reflection

the eastern tip is supported by only a handful of rods

the shift in structural density creates a sense of suspension

the entire frame is caught hovering between sky and forest floor 

nighttime warmth floods the frame with golden tones

the project avoids disturbing its surroundings

project info:

name: Phoenix Feather Tea Pavilion

architect: Kong Xiangwei Studio
location: Fenghuang Mountain Tea Estate, Bixi Township, Nanjian County, Dali Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China

design team: Kong Xiangwei, Cui Jun, Gao Zhuojian
photographers: Archi-translator Photography, Kong Xiangwei Studio

The post tea pavilion by kong xiangwei studio floats like a silver feather in chinese rainforest appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

undulating aluminum curtain facade drapes over ain shams university theater in egypt

Elmaghraby Design House revives Ain Shams University’s hall

Elmaghraby Design House, in collaboration with Professor Dr. Gamal El-Kholy, takes over the rehabilitation of a disused lecture hall at Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt. The project has resulted in a significant addition to the campus, a multi-functional theater that introduces a new architectural identity through adaptive reuse. The architecture demonstrates a sustainable approach by reactivating an existing structure rather than initiating new construction, aligning with broader goals of resource efficiency and architectural preservation.

At the center of the design concept is the metaphor of the theater curtain, which informs both the programmatic transition and the architectural expression. The new facade, composed of a transparent glass curtain wall system and a series of parametric aluminum louvers, embodies this idea. The louvers, configured to respond dynamically to light and perspective, modulate transparency and shadow, giving the building a variable presence depending on time and viewpoint. This facade system also provides environmental performance by offering solar shading while maintaining visual openness. The glass curtain wall establishes visual continuity with the campus environment, reflecting adjacent structures and reinforcing contextual integration. Simultaneously, the parametric aluminum elements introduce a contemporary architectural language that distinguishes the theater from its more conventional surroundings.

contextual view blending new and existing elements | all images courtesy of Elmaghraby Design House

Ain Shams University Theater stands as the campus landmark

Internally, Elmaghraby Design House’s architectural team reorganizes the program to support dual academic and cultural functions. A fully equipped theater with a 550-seat capacity has been introduced, designed to accommodate a wide range of performances and events. In addition, two-tiered lecture halls, with a combined capacity of 1,200 students, extend the building’s usability for educational purposes. This hybrid configuration enables the structure to serve as both a learning environment and a cultural venue, fostering interdisciplinary interaction and community engagement.

By retaining the original structure and reimagining its function, the project minimizes material waste and conserves embedded energy. The intervention reinforces the role of architecture in evolving institutional identity, where form, function, and context are reassessed to meet contemporary needs. The Ain Shams University Theater now stands as a campus landmark, articulating a renewed commitment to cultural expression, academic versatility, and sustainable transformation through architectural design.

revitalized landscape creating vibrant campus edges

main entrance framed by dynamic aluminum fins

louver detail contrasting with soft landscape elements

vertical louvers animate the facade with movement

glass reflects the surrounding buildings, bridging old and new

close-up of louvers revealing layered depth and texture

detail of parametric louvers casting rhythmic shadows

elevation reflecting the new architectural identity

at night, the facade opens like a stage curtain

project info:

name: Ain Shams University Theater Rehabilitation
architects: Elmaghraby Design House | @designed.by.elmaghraby

lead architect: Ahmed El-Maghraby

collaborator: Prof. Dr. Gamal El-Kholy

client: Ain Shams Government
location: Cairo, Egypt

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

The post undulating aluminum curtain facade drapes over ain shams university theater in egypt appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

undulating aluminum curtain facade drapes over ain shams university theater in egypt

Elmaghraby Design House revives Ain Shams University’s hall

Elmaghraby Design House, in collaboration with Professor Dr. Gamal El-Kholy, takes over the rehabilitation of a disused lecture hall at Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt. The project has resulted in a significant addition to the campus, a multi-functional theater that introduces a new architectural identity through adaptive reuse. The architecture demonstrates a sustainable approach by reactivating an existing structure rather than initiating new construction, aligning with broader goals of resource efficiency and architectural preservation.

At the center of the design concept is the metaphor of the theater curtain, which informs both the programmatic transition and the architectural expression. The new facade, composed of a transparent glass curtain wall system and a series of parametric aluminum louvers, embodies this idea. The louvers, configured to respond dynamically to light and perspective, modulate transparency and shadow, giving the building a variable presence depending on time and viewpoint. This facade system also provides environmental performance by offering solar shading while maintaining visual openness. The glass curtain wall establishes visual continuity with the campus environment, reflecting adjacent structures and reinforcing contextual integration. Simultaneously, the parametric aluminum elements introduce a contemporary architectural language that distinguishes the theater from its more conventional surroundings.

contextual view blending new and existing elements | all images courtesy of Elmaghraby Design House

Ain Shams University Theater stands as the campus landmark

Internally, Elmaghraby Design House’s architectural team reorganizes the program to support dual academic and cultural functions. A fully equipped theater with a 550-seat capacity has been introduced, designed to accommodate a wide range of performances and events. In addition, two-tiered lecture halls, with a combined capacity of 1,200 students, extend the building’s usability for educational purposes. This hybrid configuration enables the structure to serve as both a learning environment and a cultural venue, fostering interdisciplinary interaction and community engagement.

By retaining the original structure and reimagining its function, the project minimizes material waste and conserves embedded energy. The intervention reinforces the role of architecture in evolving institutional identity, where form, function, and context are reassessed to meet contemporary needs. The Ain Shams University Theater now stands as a campus landmark, articulating a renewed commitment to cultural expression, academic versatility, and sustainable transformation through architectural design.

revitalized landscape creating vibrant campus edges

main entrance framed by dynamic aluminum fins

louver detail contrasting with soft landscape elements

vertical louvers animate the facade with movement

glass reflects the surrounding buildings, bridging old and new

close-up of louvers revealing layered depth and texture

detail of parametric louvers casting rhythmic shadows

elevation reflecting the new architectural identity

at night, the facade opens like a stage curtain

project info:

name: Ain Shams University Theater Rehabilitation
architects: Elmaghraby Design House | @designed.by.elmaghraby

lead architect: Ahmed El-Maghraby

collaborator: Prof. Dr. Gamal El-Kholy

client: Ain Shams Government
location: Cairo, Egypt

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

The post undulating aluminum curtain facade drapes over ain shams university theater in egypt appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

ZHA, COX & woods bagot shape sydney airport terminal with wavy timber-toned modules

australia’s first major airport in over 50 years

The Western Sydney International Airport terminal has reached completion, marking Australia’s first new major airport in over half a century. Located in Badgerys Creek, the terminal is conceived as both a transport hub and civic landmark — an architectural statement grounded in place and shaped for the future of aviation.

First proposed by COX Architecture and Zaha Hadid Architects through a 2019 design competition, the project has since been carried forward by a collaborative team including Woods Bagot and builder Multiplex. The resulting terminal is a culmination of technical precision, spatial generosity, and cultural responsiveness, tailored to the evolving needs of Western Sydney.

‘This is a rare opportunity to define the next generation of airport design,’ says Cristiano Ceccato of Zaha Hadid Architects. ‘It’s a terminal that expresses both international ambition and a strong sense of place.’

images © Brett Boardman, Trevor Mein, courtesy Western Sydney International Airport

a rhythmic design by zaha hadid, woods bagot & cox

Designing the expansive roofline of the Sydney Airport terminal, Zaha Hadid Architects, Woods Bagot, and COX take cues from the low-lying Cumberland Plain, echoing the contours of the land. Its ceiling, composed of sculptural, timber-lined modules, captures shifting daylight throughout the day. The filtered light creates a rhythm of brightness and shadow, offering both orientation and calm across the large volume of the departure hall.

Glass curtain walls along the perimeter draw in the landscape and provide views outward, ensuring a continuous connection between interior and environment. These gestures help shape a civic-scale structure that feels open and grounded, rather than monumental or imposing.

Working with construction company Multiplex, COX shaped the terminal as a contemporary expression of place. ‘The way light filters through the terminal shapes how people move, orient and feel,’ David Holm of COX explains. ‘For many, this space marks their first encounter with Australia, and we wanted that experience to feel unmistakably grounded in place.’

the Western Sydney International Airport terminal is Australia’s first major airport in over 50 years

a sustainable terminal for sydney

The roof canopy over the forecourt is configured by Zaha Hadid Architects, COX, and Woods Bagot to offer shelter and shade while guiding movement into the new Sydney Airport terminal. This threshold is conceived with attention to scale and detail, with natural materials and Indigenous design references shaping a quiet sense of welcome.

Warm timbers, etched details, and interpretive artworks are integrated throughout, creating an environment that honors the region’s heritage without relying on overt displays. Public consultation with Dharug custodians and First Nations consultant Murrawin informed many of the terminal’s symbolic and spatial elements.

This embedded cultural approach complements the terminal’s focus on intuitive, egalitarian movement. Sightlines are clear, signage minimal, and transitions between zones legible without requiring effort. As passengers move through arrivals, departures, and security checkpoints, the building’s architecture does the work of orientation.

its low-slung form and sculptural ceiling draw from the contours and light of the Cumberland Plain

Led by Woods Bagot, the design and delivery phase prioritized performance and longevity. ‘The ambition was to create a terminal that functions at a global standard while maintaining a distinct local identity,’ Neil Hill of Woods Bagot notes.

The architecture supports a modular expansion strategy, allowing for future growth in stages without the need for full redesign. Passive ventilation, water recycling, and energy-efficient systems earned the terminal a five star Green Star rating. From landside approach to baggage handling, every aspect was calibrated to optimize throughput and passenger comfort.

As Western Sydney International Airport prepares for its first flights, the terminal stands ready to support 24-hour international and domestic operations. Beyond its technical and environmental credentials, the project offers a new civic identity for one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions.

filtered daylight animates the terminal’s interior and guides passenger orientation

large glass walls maintain a visual connection to the surrounding landscape

a modular layout and 5-star Green Star rating reflect long-term flexibility and environmental priorities

project info:

name: Western Sydney International Airport

architect: Zaha Hadid Architects, Woods Bagot, COX

location: Sydney, Australia

construction: Multiplex

photography: © Brett Boardman, Trevor Mein, courtesy Western Sydney International Airport

The post ZHA, COX & woods bagot shape sydney airport terminal with wavy timber-toned modules appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

ZHA, COX & woods bagot shape sydney airport terminal with wavy timber-toned modules

australia’s first major airport in over 50 years

The Western Sydney International Airport terminal has reached completion, marking Australia’s first new major airport in over half a century. Located in Badgerys Creek, the terminal is conceived as both a transport hub and civic landmark — an architectural statement grounded in place and shaped for the future of aviation.

First proposed by COX Architecture and Zaha Hadid Architects through a 2019 design competition, the project has since been carried forward by a collaborative team including Woods Bagot and builder Multiplex. The resulting terminal is a culmination of technical precision, spatial generosity, and cultural responsiveness, tailored to the evolving needs of Western Sydney.

‘This is a rare opportunity to define the next generation of airport design,’ says Cristiano Ceccato of Zaha Hadid Architects. ‘It’s a terminal that expresses both international ambition and a strong sense of place.’

images © Brett Boardman, Trevor Mein, courtesy Western Sydney International Airport

a rhythmic design by zaha hadid, woods bagot & cox

Designing the expansive roofline of the Sydney Airport terminal, Zaha Hadid Architects, Woods Bagot, and COX take cues from the low-lying Cumberland Plain, echoing the contours of the land. Its ceiling, composed of sculptural, timber-lined modules, captures shifting daylight throughout the day. The filtered light creates a rhythm of brightness and shadow, offering both orientation and calm across the large volume of the departure hall.

Glass curtain walls along the perimeter draw in the landscape and provide views outward, ensuring a continuous connection between interior and environment. These gestures help shape a civic-scale structure that feels open and grounded, rather than monumental or imposing.

Working with construction company Multiplex, COX shaped the terminal as a contemporary expression of place. ‘The way light filters through the terminal shapes how people move, orient and feel,’ David Holm of COX explains. ‘For many, this space marks their first encounter with Australia, and we wanted that experience to feel unmistakably grounded in place.’

the Western Sydney International Airport terminal is Australia’s first major airport in over 50 years

a sustainable terminal for sydney

The roof canopy over the forecourt is configured by Zaha Hadid Architects, COX, and Woods Bagot to offer shelter and shade while guiding movement into the new Sydney Airport terminal. This threshold is conceived with attention to scale and detail, with natural materials and Indigenous design references shaping a quiet sense of welcome.

Warm timbers, etched details, and interpretive artworks are integrated throughout, creating an environment that honors the region’s heritage without relying on overt displays. Public consultation with Dharug custodians and First Nations consultant Murrawin informed many of the terminal’s symbolic and spatial elements.

This embedded cultural approach complements the terminal’s focus on intuitive, egalitarian movement. Sightlines are clear, signage minimal, and transitions between zones legible without requiring effort. As passengers move through arrivals, departures, and security checkpoints, the building’s architecture does the work of orientation.

its low-slung form and sculptural ceiling draw from the contours and light of the Cumberland Plain

Led by Woods Bagot, the design and delivery phase prioritized performance and longevity. ‘The ambition was to create a terminal that functions at a global standard while maintaining a distinct local identity,’ Neil Hill of Woods Bagot notes.

The architecture supports a modular expansion strategy, allowing for future growth in stages without the need for full redesign. Passive ventilation, water recycling, and energy-efficient systems earned the terminal a five star Green Star rating. From landside approach to baggage handling, every aspect was calibrated to optimize throughput and passenger comfort.

As Western Sydney International Airport prepares for its first flights, the terminal stands ready to support 24-hour international and domestic operations. Beyond its technical and environmental credentials, the project offers a new civic identity for one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions.

filtered daylight animates the terminal’s interior and guides passenger orientation

large glass walls maintain a visual connection to the surrounding landscape

a modular layout and 5-star Green Star rating reflect long-term flexibility and environmental priorities

project info:

name: Western Sydney International Airport

architect: Zaha Hadid Architects, Woods Bagot, COX

location: Sydney, Australia

construction: Multiplex

photography: © Brett Boardman, Trevor Mein, courtesy Western Sydney International Airport

The post ZHA, COX & woods bagot shape sydney airport terminal with wavy timber-toned modules appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

3D printed biostructures with live bacteria capture carbon dioxide from air at venice biennale

3D printed biostructures with live cyanobacteria in venice

Living Room Collective uses live cyanobacteria within 3D printed biostructures to capture carbon dioxide from air in the Canada Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025. Named Picoplanktonics, the exhibition commissioned by The Canada Council for the Arts is on view from May 10th to November 26th, 2025. designboom speaks with Living Room Collective’s lead and biodesigner Andrea Shin Ling about the project. In our interview, she says that architecture often uses the term ‘regenerative design’ when referring to circular or upcycled material systems. ‘In Picoplanktonics, we are talking about the biological definition of regeneration, which means the literal ability to regenerate or renew from damaged or dead parts,’ she tells designboom.

The research team has merged two ancient metabolic processes for Picoplanktonics: photosynthesis and biocementation. For the former, they turn to cyanobacteria, one of the oldest groups of bacterial organisms on the planet. ‘Cyanobacteria are among the first photosynthetic organisms and are believed to be responsible for the Great Oxygenation Event, where 2.4 billion years ago, the atmosphere transformed from a high CO2 environment to a high O2 environment because of photosynthesis,’ Andrea Shin Ling explains. They can also produce biocementation, or the process of capturing carbon dioxide from air and turning it into solid minerals, like carbonates. Because of this, the resulting minerals act like ‘cement’ and can store the carbon permanently, keeping it out of the atmosphere.

all images courtesy of The Living Room Collective | photos by Valentina Mori, unless stated otherwise

Infusing the bacteria during the printing stage

Before bringing them to Venice, Andrea Shin Ling and the Living Room Collective fabricated the 3D printed biostructures at ETH Zürich’s laboratory. The biodesigner shares with us that when they make these structures, they already infuse the living cyanobacteria during the printing stage instead of later on. Then, they need to let the bacteria grow and take care of them so they can grow. This means they have to provide enough light, warmth, and humidity so that they can proliferate and slowly harden the prints.

‘The idea is that the bacteria cooperate in a human-initiated fabrication process and, with our care, can continue and finish that process (in this case, hardening the printed structures they live in),’ says Andrea Shin Ling. She adds that for the 3D printed biostructure with live cyanobacteria in Venice, favorable conditions mean warm sunlight, high humidity, and access to salt water. ‘These are conditions that are common in Venice and achievable in the Canada Pavilion, which informed our design process,’ the biodesigner explains to designboom.

Living Room Collective uses live cyanobacteria within 3D printed biostructures to capture carbon dioxide from air

Microorganisms that can repair themselves to a healthy state

In Picoplanktonics, the Living Room Collective works with bacteria as the living component of their material system. It has the ability to grow and die within the 3D printed biostructures, as shown in Venice, and the colony can restore itself under favorable conditions after periods of decline. Andrea Shin Ling says, however, that the process isn’t necessarily consistent since it depends on the environmental conditions at a particular point in time.

‘So, for instance, a bioprint might dry out if the air is too dry that week, and many of the bacteria die. But because the system is regenerative, the bacteria population has the potential to restore itself when favorable conditions return and then continue their carbon sequestration work,’ she shares with designboom.

these biostructures are inside the Canada Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025

During their research process, the group has also had samples where the bacteria have gotten ‘sick’, worn out, or where they looked like they were over-oxidized. With some care, the live cyanobacteria were able to repair themselves back to a healthy state. This is what Andrea Shin Ling means when she describes regenerative design. It looks more into the potential of biological material systems that are dynamic and restorative.

‘But their responsivity can also create situations that we don’t want. So much of the project is then trying to understand what is causing these situations and monitoring conditions so that we can respond accordingly,’ the biodesigner adds. Visitors to the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 can see the research process and progress of Picoplanktonics firsthand inside the Canada Pavilion. It remains on-site from May 10th to November 26th, 2025.

the research group takes care of the bacteria throughout the exhibition to maintain their healthy state

the bacteria need warm sunlight, high humidity, and access to salt water to thrive

the research group already infuses the living cyanobacteria during the printing stage | image © designboom

the research team has used ancient metabolic processes for Picoplanktonics | image © designboom

the cyanobacteria can also produce biocementation, or the process of capturing carbon dioxide from air

Living Room Collective’s lead And biodesigner Andrea Shin Ling

project info:

name: Picoplanktonics | @picoplanktonics

group: The Living Room Collective

team: Andrea Shin Ling Nicholas Hoban, Vincent Hui, Clayton Lee

commission by: The Canada Council for the Arts | @canada.council

event: Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 | @labiennale

location: Calle Giazzo, 30122 Venice, Italy

dates: May 10th to November 26th, 2025

research and development: Andrea Shin Ling, Yo-Cheng Jerry Lee, Nijat Mahamaliyev, Hamid Peiro, Dalia Dranseike, Yifan Cui, Pok Yin Victor Leung, Barrak Darweesh

photography: Valentina Mori | @_valentinamori_

production

eth zurich: Huang Su, Wenqian Yang, Che-Wei Lin, Sukhdevsinh Parmar; Tobias Hartmann, Michael Lyrenmann, Luca Petrus, Jonathan Leu, Philippe Fleischmann, Oliver Zgraggen, Paul Fischlin, Mario Hebing, Franklin Füchslin; Hao Wu, Nicola Piccioli-Cappelli, Roberto Innocenti, Sigurd Rinde, Börte Emiroglu, Stéphane Bernhard, Carlo Pasini, Apoorv Singh, Paul Jaeggi; Mario Guala, Isabella Longoni;

toronto metropolitan university: Venessa Chan, Minh Ton, Daniel Wolinski, Marko Jovanovic, Santino D’Angelo Rozas, Rachel Kim, Alexandra Waxman, Richard McCulloch, Stephen Waldman, Tina Smith, Andrea Skyers, Randy Ragan, Emma Grant, Shira Gellman, Mariska Espinet, Suzanne Porter, Stacey Park, Amanda Wood, Lisa Landrum, Dorothy Johns, Cedric Ortiz

university of toronto: Daniel Lewycky, Philipp Cop

visualisation: Adrian Yu, Nazanin Kazemi, Ariel Weiss

structural advisors: Andrea Menardo, Kam-Ming Mark Tam

graphic design: Shannon Lin

website: Sigurd Rinde, Shannon Lin

local project logistics: Tamara Andruszkiewicz

project advisors: ETH Zurich, Benjamin Dillenburger, Mark Tibbitt

support: Canada Council, Digital Building Technologies, Institute of Technology & Architecture, D-ARCH, ETH Zurich, Department of Architectural Science, Toronto Metropolitan University, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, University of Toronto, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada; Advanced Engineering with Living Materials (ALIVE) Initiative, ETH Zurich; Additive Tectonics GmbH; ABB Switzerland; Vestacon Limited and NEUF Architect(e)s

The post 3D printed biostructures with live bacteria capture carbon dioxide from air at venice biennale appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

3D printed biostructures with live bacteria capture carbon dioxide from air at venice biennale

3D printed biostructures with live cyanobacteria in venice

Living Room Collective uses live cyanobacteria within 3D printed biostructures to capture carbon dioxide from air in the Canada Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025. Named Picoplanktonics, the exhibition commissioned by The Canada Council for the Arts is on view from May 10th to November 26th, 2025. designboom speaks with Living Room Collective’s lead and biodesigner Andrea Shin Ling about the project. In our interview, she says that architecture often uses the term ‘regenerative design’ when referring to circular or upcycled material systems. ‘In Picoplanktonics, we are talking about the biological definition of regeneration, which means the literal ability to regenerate or renew from damaged or dead parts,’ she tells designboom.

The research team has merged two ancient metabolic processes for Picoplanktonics: photosynthesis and biocementation. For the former, they turn to cyanobacteria, one of the oldest groups of bacterial organisms on the planet. ‘Cyanobacteria are among the first photosynthetic organisms and are believed to be responsible for the Great Oxygenation Event, where 2.4 billion years ago, the atmosphere transformed from a high CO2 environment to a high O2 environment because of photosynthesis,’ Andrea Shin Ling explains. They can also produce biocementation, or the process of capturing carbon dioxide from air and turning it into solid minerals, like carbonates. Because of this, the resulting minerals act like ‘cement’ and can store the carbon permanently, keeping it out of the atmosphere.

all images courtesy of The Living Room Collective | photos by Valentina Mori, unless stated otherwise

Infusing the bacteria during the printing stage

Before bringing them to Venice, Andrea Shin Ling and the Living Room Collective fabricated the 3D printed biostructures at ETH Zürich’s laboratory. The biodesigner shares with us that when they make these structures, they already infuse the living cyanobacteria during the printing stage instead of later on. Then, they need to let the bacteria grow and take care of them so they can grow. This means they have to provide enough light, warmth, and humidity so that they can proliferate and slowly harden the prints.

‘The idea is that the bacteria cooperate in a human-initiated fabrication process and, with our care, can continue and finish that process (in this case, hardening the printed structures they live in),’ says Andrea Shin Ling. She adds that for the 3D printed biostructure with live cyanobacteria in Venice, favorable conditions mean warm sunlight, high humidity, and access to salt water. ‘These are conditions that are common in Venice and achievable in the Canada Pavilion, which informed our design process,’ the biodesigner explains to designboom.

Living Room Collective uses live cyanobacteria within 3D printed biostructures to capture carbon dioxide from air

Microorganisms that can repair themselves to a healthy state

In Picoplanktonics, the Living Room Collective works with bacteria as the living component of their material system. It has the ability to grow and die within the 3D printed biostructures, as shown in Venice, and the colony can restore itself under favorable conditions after periods of decline. Andrea Shin Ling says, however, that the process isn’t necessarily consistent since it depends on the environmental conditions at a particular point in time.

‘So, for instance, a bioprint might dry out if the air is too dry that week, and many of the bacteria die. But because the system is regenerative, the bacteria population has the potential to restore itself when favorable conditions return and then continue their carbon sequestration work,’ she shares with designboom.

these biostructures are inside the Canada Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025

During their research process, the group has also had samples where the bacteria have gotten ‘sick’, worn out, or where they looked like they were over-oxidized. With some care, the live cyanobacteria were able to repair themselves back to a healthy state. This is what Andrea Shin Ling means when she describes regenerative design. It looks more into the potential of biological material systems that are dynamic and restorative.

‘But their responsivity can also create situations that we don’t want. So much of the project is then trying to understand what is causing these situations and monitoring conditions so that we can respond accordingly,’ the biodesigner adds. Visitors to the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 can see the research process and progress of Picoplanktonics firsthand inside the Canada Pavilion. It remains on-site from May 10th to November 26th, 2025.

the research group takes care of the bacteria throughout the exhibition to maintain their healthy state

the bacteria need warm sunlight, high humidity, and access to salt water to thrive

the research group already infuses the living cyanobacteria during the printing stage | image © designboom

the research team has used ancient metabolic processes for Picoplanktonics | image © designboom

the cyanobacteria can also produce biocementation, or the process of capturing carbon dioxide from air

Living Room Collective’s lead And biodesigner Andrea Shin Ling

project info:

name: Picoplanktonics | @picoplanktonics

group: The Living Room Collective

team: Andrea Shin Ling Nicholas Hoban, Vincent Hui, Clayton Lee

commission by: The Canada Council for the Arts | @canada.council

event: Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 | @labiennale

location: Calle Giazzo, 30122 Venice, Italy

dates: May 10th to November 26th, 2025

research and development: Andrea Shin Ling, Yo-Cheng Jerry Lee, Nijat Mahamaliyev, Hamid Peiro, Dalia Dranseike, Yifan Cui, Pok Yin Victor Leung, Barrak Darweesh

photography: Valentina Mori | @_valentinamori_

production

eth zurich: Huang Su, Wenqian Yang, Che-Wei Lin, Sukhdevsinh Parmar; Tobias Hartmann, Michael Lyrenmann, Luca Petrus, Jonathan Leu, Philippe Fleischmann, Oliver Zgraggen, Paul Fischlin, Mario Hebing, Franklin Füchslin; Hao Wu, Nicola Piccioli-Cappelli, Roberto Innocenti, Sigurd Rinde, Börte Emiroglu, Stéphane Bernhard, Carlo Pasini, Apoorv Singh, Paul Jaeggi; Mario Guala, Isabella Longoni;

toronto metropolitan university: Venessa Chan, Minh Ton, Daniel Wolinski, Marko Jovanovic, Santino D’Angelo Rozas, Rachel Kim, Alexandra Waxman, Richard McCulloch, Stephen Waldman, Tina Smith, Andrea Skyers, Randy Ragan, Emma Grant, Shira Gellman, Mariska Espinet, Suzanne Porter, Stacey Park, Amanda Wood, Lisa Landrum, Dorothy Johns, Cedric Ortiz

university of toronto: Daniel Lewycky, Philipp Cop

visualisation: Adrian Yu, Nazanin Kazemi, Ariel Weiss

structural advisors: Andrea Menardo, Kam-Ming Mark Tam

graphic design: Shannon Lin

website: Sigurd Rinde, Shannon Lin

local project logistics: Tamara Andruszkiewicz

project advisors: ETH Zurich, Benjamin Dillenburger, Mark Tibbitt

support: Canada Council, Digital Building Technologies, Institute of Technology & Architecture, D-ARCH, ETH Zurich, Department of Architectural Science, Toronto Metropolitan University, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, University of Toronto, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada; Advanced Engineering with Living Materials (ALIVE) Initiative, ETH Zurich; Additive Tectonics GmbH; ABB Switzerland; Vestacon Limited and NEUF Architect(e)s

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More than 7,500 Prints and Negatives by Trailblazing Photographer Alice Austen Return Home

With its panoramic views of New York Harbor, the house that trailblazing photographer Alice Austen (1866-1952) called home for most of her life, is a sprawling, two-story, elegant Victorian Gothic waterfront property known as Clear Comfort. Situated on the Staten Island shoreline near the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, she would have witnessed the monumental assembly of the Statue of Liberty in 1886, immigrants arriving at Ellis Island, and World War I soldiers returning from the front—much of which she captured in more than 7,000 incredible photographs throughout her lifetime.

Austen’s body of work is considered among the earliest and most prolific by a female photographer. Long viewed as an amateur because she pursued the craft predominantly as a hobby, she is now recognized for her significant contributions to the canon of American photography. For several decades, her work has been stewarded by Historic Richmond Town, formerly the Staten Island Historical Society, where more than 7,500 prints and negatives were entrusted in 1945. This month, the entire archive returns to Clear Comfort—now known as the Alice Austen House—thanks to a landmark acquisition.

Growing up in New York, Austen discovered photography when she was 10 years old, converting her bedroom closet into a darkroom. “In this home studio, which was also one of her photographic muses, she produced thousands of photographs of a rapidly changing New York City, making significant contributions to photographic history, documenting New York’s immigrant populations, Victorian women’s social activities, and the natural and architectural world of her travels,” says the museum.

While she participated in Victorian society as a woman of wealth and privilege, Austen also flouted and mocked its customs and defied expectations of gender roles and domesticity. “Austen was a rebel who broke away from the constraints of her Victorian environment and forged an independent life that broke boundaries of acceptable female behavior and social rules,” the museum says. She often lugged the cumbersome camera equipment, weighing sometimes up to 50 pounds, around on her bicycle.

Austen snapped humorous photos of family and friends during leisurely activities around New York and on international travels. She also focused on immigrants and working class people in New York City, but her images primarily highlight upper class style and pastimes, from tea time “larks” to swimming to hanging with the girls—her relationships with other women proving influential in the type of work she made and how we read it today.

Marking a significant site in LGBTQ+ history, Clear Comfort was home for 30 years to both Austen and her life partner Gertrude Tate. Austen met the kindergarten and dance teacher in 1899, embarking on a relationship that would span more than five decades. While financial difficulties at the end of their lives forced them to separate—Austen lost all of her wealth in the stock market crash of 1929 and she and Tate were evicted from Clear Comfort in 1945—Tate advocated for the preservation of Austen’s work. Their families denied the couple’s final wishes to be buried together.

Today, Alice Austen House is committed to showcasing the breadth of the seminal photographer’s work and highlighting her heretofore ignored yet influential role in LGBTQ+ history. The organization is a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios program (previously) and is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday.

If you’re in Chicago, Austen’s work is included in The First Homosexuals: The Birth of a New Identity, 1869-1939 at Wrightwood 659 through July 26. The return of the archive to Austen’s ancestral home also aligns with the release of Too Good to Get Married: The Life and Photographs of Miss Alice Austen by Bonnie Yochelson. Find your copy on Bookshop, and plan your visit to the Alice Austen House on the museum’s website.

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Mario Moore’s Oil Paintings Bridge Past and Present to Spotlight Black Resilience and Style

In large-scale works in oil, Detroit-based artist Mario Moore taps into the legacy of European painting traditions to create bold portraits exploring the nature of veneration, self-determination, and the continuum of history.

Moore’s work is currently on view in Beneath Our Feet at Library Street Collective alongside fellow Detroiter LaKela Brown. His new pieces nod to the Dutch and Flemish tradition of devotional painting, particularly religious garland paintings. Within elegant arrangements of flowers and foliage, he highlights Black figures relaxing or tending to gardens.

In “Watermelon Man,” a stone altar is surrounded by hibiscus and watermelons, both symbols of resilience. Historically, the latter represented self-sufficiency and freedom for Southern African Americans following Emancipation, but whites flipped the narrative into a stereotypical exemplar of poverty. Moore reclaims the fruit in the spirit of refined 17th-century still-lifes.

The artist has long drawn on the culture and legacies of both Detroit and the U.S. more broadly through the lens of the Black diaspora. Earlier works like “Pillars” position Black figures in elegant dress within the vast wildernesses of the American frontier, bridging the past to explore how racial divisions continue to shape the present.

An exhibition last summer at Grand Rapids Art Museum titled Revolutionary Times took his series A New Republic as a starting point, revisiting the history of Black Union soldiers during the Civil War.

Moore learned that one of his ancestors, who had been enslaved as a child, later enlisted in the Union Army, spurring the artist’s exploration of the seminal mid-19th-century period of conflict and Western colonization. He positions present-day figures in contemporary dress within historical contexts, interrogating political and racial segregations.

Through tropes of European painting like a self-portrait of the artist in mirrored reflections and poses in three-quarter profile, Moore renders individuals whose direct, confident gazes and elegant dress invoke Detroit style and pride.

For Beneath Our Feet, Brown and Moore collaborated on a five-foot-wide bas-relief bronze coin. Each artist completed one side, with Mario’s contribution taking the form of a portrait of Brown. “Her profile echoes the conventional format of traditional American coinage, confronting the historic absence of Black women in national symbolism and positions of authority,” the gallery says. On the opposite side, Brown depicts a bouquet of collard greens symbolic of nourishment and community.

For this exhibition, Brown and Moore “reflect on the wealth held in the earth beneath us—and the enduring question of who holds the rights to till, own, and shape that land,” says an exhibition statement. Detroit is home to ambitious urban gardening initiatives that aim for local food sovereignty, mirroring the resourcefulness of Black farmers throughout history. The artists “consider land not just as property but as history, inheritance, and possibility,” the gallery says.

Beneath Our Feet continues through July 30 in Detroit. See more on Moore’s website and Instagram.

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Order an Object at the New V&A East Storehouse to Get Up-Close to 5,000 Years of Cultural Heritage

What do the largest Picasso painting in the world, punky Vivienne Westwood apparel, pins for securing a 17th-century ruff, and a complete Frank Lloyd Wright interior have in common? That’ll be the U.K.’s Victoria and Albert Museum, or the V&A, the world’s largest collection of design and applied and decorative arts.

In South Kensington, the palatial museum has awed visitors since 1852, and in recent decades, the institution has greatly expanded, with locations like the Young V&A in Bethnal Green, the Wedgwood Collection in Stoke-on-Trent, the ship-like V&A Dundee in Scotland, and the brand new V&A East Storehouse in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Spanning 5,000 years of human creativity through hundreds of thousands of objects requires a lot of space. Rather than hiding it all away in a dark warehouse, the new Storehouse takes over a portion of the former 2012 London Olympics Media Centre, providing a purpose-built home for more than 250,000 objects, 350,000 library books, and 1,000 archives from across the V&A’s diverse collections.

The best part? You can visit! Storehouse hosts workshops, screenings, performances, and pop-up displays of special collections, along with the opportunity to observe conservators at work preserving a wide range of cultural heritage objects.

Peruse more than 100 curated mini-displays throughout the building, and book in advance to get up-close and personal through the Order an Object experience. Pick any object in storage, and a member of the Collections Access team will assist you in interacting safely with everything from artworks to textiles to musical instruments.

Plan your visit on the V&A website.

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