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The Why Factory, a think tank and research institute led by Winy Maas at the Delft University of Technology, collaborated with visual artist Federico Díaz to present BIOTOPIA, their joint contribution to the main exhibition curated by Carlo Ratti.
BIOTOPIA invites viewers to envision a future where cities transform into forests, architecture resembles trees, and streets are illuminated by bioluminescent lighting, teeming with biodiversity. It envisions a world designed not just with nature, but as an integral part of it. At the core of BIOTOPIA lies the concept of a global Sponge: a dynamic bio-matter architecture that serves as a cooling, water filtering, energy generating, and life-sheltering entity, capable of adapting like a living organism. This bio-matter architecture undergoes continuous growth, shrinkage, and regeneration, seamlessly integrating biology and technology.
Díaz’s work, born from extensive research in biomimicry, algorithmic design, and adaptive structures, proposes architecture as an active participant in ecological cycles. Inspired by the resilience and intelligence of natural systems like mangrove root networks, the installation explores how structures might one day grow, adapt, and decompose in a manner akin to living organisms. The installation “Propagative Structures” captures a moment in this unfolding process, presenting a hybrid entity where form is not fixed but generated through the interaction between data, material, and environment. It suggests that future habitats could emerge not through construction, but through cultivation. BIOTOPIA is an invitation to dream and act: to imagine cities becoming forests, architecture growing like trees, and streets illuminated by bioluminescent lighting, alive with biodiversity. It envisions a world designed not just with nature, but as nature. At the heart of BIOTOPIA lies the vision of a global Sponge: a dynamic bio-matter architecture that cools, filters water, generates energy, and shelters life while adapting like a living organism. This bio-matter grows, shrinks, and regenerates, creating a seamless, sustainable integration of biology and technology.
