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Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Microbial technologies: Toward a regenerative architecture

from the extractive, resource consuming “machine” that metabolically robust, extremely diverse, superabundant,
characterizes modern infrastructure, toward approaches biologically alien (in comparison with multicellular
that increase the liveliness of environments by repairing and organisms) microbes exist within an ethical grey zone, as
restoring natural systems by removing contaminated soil, bacteria can both feed us or harm us through their ability
installing new water management systems (e.g., rainwater to rapidly adapt to environmental change. Love them or
collection), adopting energy efficiency measures and using revile them, Louis Pasteur observed that we cannot do
sustainable, non-toxic, locally-sourced materials to reduce without them, which has been confirmed by Gilbert and
the environmental impact of building construction and Neufeld who calculated that people could survive without
maintenance. Regenerative architecture makes possible microbes—but only for a few days (Gilbert & Neufeld, 2014).
a basic construction portfolio capable of providing When this context comprises our immune system then,
comfortable, warm living spaces, supported by vital otherwise harmless bacteria can become life-threatening
building operations, while performing vital ecosystems pathogens, while providing a metabolic platform capable
services, to enable the advent of ‘living cities, that is, of catalyzing radically new forms of environmental
ones that are fundamentally life-promoting (biopositive). relationships through applications guided by architectural,
Consequently, regenerative architecture is an active field engineering, and design practices (Armstrong, 2022).
of research that advances the state of the art in restoring Importantly, microbes are fundamentally environmental
degraded environments, creating new materials with low actors, transforming their surroundings into high-value
embodied carbon, and establishing fossil fuel-free building biological compounds by using their unique metabolisms
systems. Such advances involve close collaboration to work within the carrying capacity of their different sites.
between designers, engineers, and scientists to better The advances in microbiology from the late 20 century
th
understand the complex relationships between the built have provided new insights for technical applications of
environment, resource management, human inhabitation, microbes within the practice of the built environment,
and the natural world. comprising a new life-based platform for circular design,

2. Microbes as agents of regeneration such as generating biofuel (Keasling et al., 2021),
improving indoor air quality (Wolverton & Nelson, 2020),
The most effective regenerative agents are microbes, which water management (Waldrop, 2021), bioremediating
account for most of the world’s biodiversity (70 – 90%) hazardous waste and pollutants (Kumari et al., 2018),
measured in terms of the number of species (Lennon & and in the production of new materials such as mycelium
Locey, 2018) where unseen microbes have a collective biocomposites (Yang et al., 2021), bioconcrete (Jonkers &
mass greater than all the animals (Ghosh, 2021) and Schlangen, 2008; Stewart, 2016), microbial cellulose (Fairs,
have played a critical role in shaping the biosphere since 2014) and microbially-cured bricks (Cheng et al., 2020) all
the earliest stages of life on Earth (Fenchel et al., 2012). with low embodied carbon compared with industrially-
Catalysing key biogeospherical processes, microbes create produced equivalents.
and maintain the biosphere through oxygen production
(where photosynthetic bacteria, such as cyanobacteria, 3. Introducing the microbial commons
were the first organisms to produce oxygen as a byproduct In natural systems, microbes reside in biofilms which are
of photosynthesis, enabling the evolution of more complex organized heterogeneous assemblages of microbial cells
life forms), the actions of nitrogen-fixing bacteria such (80% bacteria, archaea) that are encased within a self-
as rhizobia, (which convert atmospheric nitrogen into produced matrix (Penesyan et al., 2021) and collectively
1
a form that can be used by plants and other organisms), form the “microbial commons” (Dedeurwaerdere, 2010)
maintaining the carbon cycle (by breaking down organic where the free and open exchange of microbial materials
matter and recycling carbon through the ecosystem, which forms a foundational biomolecular currency (metabolism)
regulates atmospheric carbon dioxide levels), enabling that performs critical “ecosystem services,” which generate
nutrient rich soil formation (that supports the growth of ecosystem benefits at little or no resource cost, within
plants and other organisms), and promoting biodiversity the urban and global context (Bell et al., 2005; Balvanera
(where microbes play a foundational role in the food chain et al., 2006). For example, nitrification and denitrification
to support the growth of other organisms). Small, versatile,
are microbial processes that are extensively used in
urban wastewater treatment (Bitton, 2011), providing
1 Rhizobia are a group of Gram-negative soil bacteria that food for plants, and removing toxins, respectively, with
adhere to and colonize the root cells of leguminous plants substantial “health” benefits to the local environment.
(soybeans, alfalfa) to form root nodules where they actively The term “microbial commons” originates from the
carry out nitrogen fixation. biotechnology revolution where the generous exchanges of

Volume 5 Issue 1 (2023) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.157