Synbio4Arch intends to exploit the foreground generated in the FET project Living Architecture (Grant nr. 686585) terminated in July 2019 to develop a synthetic biology toolkit for architecture. The envisaged technology will allow engineers and architects to leverage microbes to embed distributed biomanufacturing, on-site domestic wastewater treatment, and CO2 capturing into buildings through integrated bioreactors. More specifically, the offer is built around 2 products:
I) the living brick is a concrete construction brick hosting a microbial fuel cell colonized with one or more genetically engineered microbial strains capable of recycling household wastes. The living brick falls under the definition of GMO-containing product, and ii) a cloud-based application that allows architects and engineers to select microbial strains engineered with pre-made and validated synthetic metabolic pathways relevant for household wastewater management such as organic compound oxidation and inorganic phosphate recycling.
The innovation will allow practitioners in the construction field such as engineers and architects with little expertise in molecular biology to access the power of synthetic biology. Biological sciences have gone through a radical paradigm shift over the last decade with the rise of synthetic biology (synbio), a new discipline at the interface between biology and engineering, which aims to “(a) design and construct new biological parts, devices and systems and (b) re-design existing, natural biological systems for useful purposes (www.syntheticbiology.org)” in a rational and systematic way. The synbio’s approach has already revolutionized technology and production paradigms fostering the development of innovative medicines, redesigning environmentally-friendly chemical processes. Remarkable examples of these applications are the production of the anti-Malaria drug Artemisinin, the production of jet- fuel from renewable resources and advanced cell therapy based on patients' T- cells to treat cancers. Although synbio’s initial applications were naturally addressing health and industrial issues, synbio’s impact may radically change the very idea of our cities by empowering distributed biomanufacturing, on-site domestic wastewater treatment and CO2 capturing. A pioneering example of the integration of biology into a human dwelling is the Arup’s BIQ House built in Hamburg (watch video). The building grows and harvests algae biomass that offsets energy requirements and CO2 emissions.
The objective of Syn4Arch launchpad project is to assess regulatory barriers and develop a commercialization plan to exploit the living brick innovation.
