Living systems such as plants and fungi possess innate biological intelligence. Their growth and development is both an expression of their need to survive and reproduce, as well as an organic reflection of the surrounding environment.
This talk explores how life forms, such as mycelium (the root system of fungi), can offer us new ways of understanding architectural designs, and how this biological knowledge could help to co-design architectural spaces.
Drawing from her experimental research on mycelium, as well experience as an architect and sculpture artist, Gimha Munasinghe will discuss what we can learn by embracing the aesthetics and uncertainties of integrating living systems into architecture. She will also look at how these living systems can offer alternatives to conventional form giving design methods, and embrace a more organic form finding process.
Gimha Munasinghe is a Chartered Architect, sculpture artist, and an independent researcher in material ecology. She envisions the future of architecture in biological systems, exploring the integration of living organisms into design and seeking to transcend boundaries between architecture, biology, and art through experimental practice.