Computational BioPhilia: Culture-Nature Synthesis in Biomimicry Fabrication
Description
"Computational Biophilia" confronts the silent crisis of soil degradation in Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis by proposing a radical new form of architecture: a transient, metabolic intervention for land healing. This project develops a site-specific, 3D-printed scaffold from biodegradable PHA biopolymers. This structure acts as both a physical substrate and a nutrient source for soil-remediating microbes, designed to decompose after completing its restorative work. By integrating computational environmental simulation, robotic fabrication, and community co-construction, we prototype a future where the built environment is not an extractive force but a participatory agent in ecological recovery. This research seeds a new paradigm for a self-healing metropolis, transforming abandoned landscapes into fertile ground to explore nature-culture synthesise—“Ecobolic Architecture”.
Biography
Our team brings together diverse expertise from generative design, digital fabrication, and participatory construction.
Provides Ng is a Lecturer at Bartlett School of Architecture (UCL) and conducts her doctoral research at the CUHK. She is the founder of the Digital Common(s) Initiative, which works to improve digital literacy in underprivileged communities. She actively advises the HKSAR government on cultural affairs, and serves as panel members at the Development Bureau and LCSD. She also holds leadership roles as Treasurer for the Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA) and co-founded two international AI-research collectives: Current.cam and R.E.Ar_.
Yaoyao Meng is our award-winning interdisciplinary designer and UK Global Talent. She is a robotic specialist at the Architectural Robotics Lab, Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL. Her research explores robotic fabrication, circular design strategies, and waste material regeneration to address resource scarcity, rising waste, and embodied carbon in construction. By integrating computational design with additive manufacturing, she develops bespoke, large-scale, and sustainable building systems.
Carlos Rivera Salaverry, our architect and educator from URP Peru, brings expertise in experimental parametric modeling, with special interest in form optimization through climatic and structural variables. He explores sustainable approaches to digital fabrication, integrating advanced computational methods to bridge design experimentation with material efficiency and construction feasibility.
Materials
The installation is fabricated with MedPHA’s Pure PHA using 3D printing technology. The PHA extrusion compound includes poly 3-hydroxybutyrate, referred to as PHB (CAS No.: 26063-00-3) and poly 3-hydroxy-4-hydroxybutyrate, known as P34HB (CAS No.: 125495-90-1). The material is biodegradable in any environment, with bio-based carbon content >90%. It is food contact safe, high heat resistance without requiring post-crystallization treatment.
Organisation
Bartlett School of Architecture (UCL), Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Universidad Ricardo Palma (URP)
Sponsor
MedPHA Bioscience Co., Ltd
Acknowledgments
Strategic Partners
MedPHA Bioscience Co., Ltd (Dr. Shen Hongwei)
Owen to Create x Chuangzhi 3D Lab (Mingdu Cao, Ying Cheng)
Dr. Felix Leung
HKFYG Jockey Club Jat Min Youth S.P.O.T. (Ms. Coca Fong, RSW)
Special Thanks
PHA3D
Farm SOILution HK
EBP Biotech
Digital Common(s)