Exploring the Potential Impact of Biobuilding Components into Building Design: An Experiment in Architectural Design Studio

ABSTRACT The recent technological advancements introduce the incorporation of living and manufactured components within a variety of innovations such as autonomously growing furniture, self-healing building materials, wearable technologies, and many more. In this paper, these innovations, incorporated with living organisms, are entitled as ‘biobuilding’ components (BBC). The paper aims to explore their possible integrations into building design, particularly in architectural education. Within the scope of the research, the influence of BBC on building design is explored firstly by literature reviews, and then carrying out a design experiment with first-year architecture students in an architectural design studio. The design experiment leads us to examine the integration of BBC in building design by their introduction into the design process. The findings, based on the work of the students, author notes, and retrospective reports of the student presentations, give insights into the potential impact of BBC on building design especially on the creating relationships between human, product and building. Furthermore, they point out the changing roles of the architects in the near future. Therefore, the paper concludes that architecture students should be aware of BBC, and its possible influences on architectural discipline.