New York studio The Living developed a pavilion for the Venice Architecture Biennale to demonstrate how organic materials with microbial properties could be used in architecture to help create healthier environments for humans.

The Living was invited by Biennale curator Hashim Sarkis to create the Alive pavilion for an exhibit titled Among Diverse Beings, which is presented at the city’s Arsenale venue. The installation has been shortlisted in the small building category of Dezeen Awards 2021.

The pavilion represents an evolution of ongoing research by The Living, which has worked with biologists and academics to explore the potential of multi-species architecture and how best to harness the microbes that surround us all the time.

According to The Living founder and principal David Benjamin, advances in biological technologies such as bio-computing, bio-sensing and bio-fabricating offer new opportunities for using living organisms in architecture.

The exhibition at the Arsenale examines the potential for creating an “urban microbiome” that would see cities evolve to become more healthy and sustainable by employing bio-receptive materials in their construction.

“As a society, we are increasingly aware of how a good gut microbiome promotes individual health,” Benjamin told Dezeen, “and in a similar way, it is now clear that a good urban microbiome promotes public health.”

“This means that instead of creating architecture and spaces that are sterile and antibiotic, we should develop environments that are alive and probiotic.”

Bio-receptive materials trap and host microorganisms in surfaces containing pockets with different temperatures, moisture levels, air flow and nutrients. These organic, living materials support colonies of microbes that in turn promote the health of people in their vicinity.

The Alive installation is made from dried fibres of luffa – an inexpensive, renewable and fast-growing vegetable that grows on vines in tropical and subtropical regions