Where design meets biology: an interview on SPIKA, a prototype for microbe-mediated architecture

This Q&A explores the interdisciplinary advances in the EU Pathfinder project Microbial Hydroponics (Mi-Hy) and its SPIKA installation - a functional prototype installed at the Milan Triennale 2025. In this prototype, microbial electrochemistry, engineered biomineralization, and metabolic programming converge. Researchers Ezgi Öğün Ramalhete, Işıl Yücel, and Jorge Barriuso discuss how microbial consortia can reshape the foundations of the built environment by introducing a platform for sustainable agriculture. This might enable a transition from resource-consuming architecture to circular, living infrastructure.