All human-made structures experience life cycles of their own. However, unlike organic matter, most buildings do not go through biological degradation as part of their intended life cycle. By design, they are planned and maintained to last forever. This approach becomes problematic where buildings are designed to serve only one function. When that function ends or transforms, these buildings often lose their viability, rendering them socio-economically and ecologically redundant. Architects and builders had not considered effective design strategies to allow buildings to decay naturally and organically. The end-of-life phase of buildings is often overlooked during the design process, and we typically focus only on the lifecycle concerning recycling materials, which are insufficient for environmental sustainability.

This project proposes a discursive design to examine all the processes in the life cycle of architectural projects, proposing concepts and ideas to activate the material decomposition of buildings naturally through the introduction of the living organism. Architectural decay is suggested as a spatial experience that aims to integrate the end of life into an architectural strategy. When it is deemed appropriate, the process biologically is triggered by the fungal spore, and it grows through the materials in the structures, practically consuming and decaying the building mass. The decaying building covered in fungi will transform architectural waste from being merely toxic into valuable nutrients for the environment.

Symbiome is an architectural concept that explores how biodesign and biomimicry can work together to restore balance between city and nature. Designed for Jakarta, Indonesia, it envisions a living structure that supports mangrove regeneration while addressing the city’s most urgent challenges: flooding, land subsidence, and water pollution.

The architecture acts as an artificial ecosystem, filtering seawater and echoing the protective role of a mangrove forest. By naturally desalinating and cleaning water, it offers an alternative to groundwater use and contributes to the recovery of Jakarta’s coastal biodiversity. Beyond its function, Symbiome proposes a new way of living with water, one that learns from natural systems instead of resisting them.

The project was developed in 2019 through a collaboration between RMIT’s Master of Design Innovation and Technology and Bachelor of Design (Fashion) (Honours) programs, under the guidance of Dr. Ollie Cotsaftis and JJ Hastings. The design team—Tria Amalia Ningsih, Jorge Mario Castillo Velasquez, Wai Yin Tat, and Elaine Regina—presented Symbiome at the Parsons School of Design and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, where it became a finalist of the 2019 Biodesign Challenge. Special thanks to Vaibhav Bansal for his contribution to brand development and visual communication.