Terreform ONE - Bio City Map: Biology as Computation

In the next 100 years we can expect human population to reach 11 billion people. Is this sustainable? We used the Buckminster Fuller Dymaxion Map to take a view of the world and look at the 25 densest cities on the planet. Our Bio City Map displays population density as a parametric graph on the front. The backside zooms in on each of these cities designed and built and grown inside petri dishes.
We chose colonies of E. Coli as a method of analog computation. Population density was represented in two different forms of bioluminescent E. coli under UV light. Glowing red E. coli represented future projections, while green represented existing conditions in cities. We used the dilution method in biology to show the range of densities of E. coli populations in each petri dish. Stencils derived from CAD files would shape the E. coli into specific geometries that display the current conditions in cities. This is an interdisciplinary project because cartographers, urban planners, biologists, and architects, were all working to think about a map of the near future of human population.

Making the Bio City World Population Map of 11 Billion

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Bio City Map of 11 Billion: 
World Population in 2110

Artists: Terreform ONE

Date: 2013-14

Size: 15’ x 9’ x 3’

Media: transgenic E. coli, parametric thermoformed styrene plates, carbon fiber rods, steel strut channels, USB microscopes 400x, multiport high-speed USB hubs, ultraviolet LED lighting strips, MAC Mini.    

The United Nations announced: “World population stabilization unlikely this century” (Gerland et al. 2014). In the next 100 years we can expect human population to reach 11 billion people. What does this increased massive growth look like? Our Bio City Map is a hybrid art and science installation that links: transgenic design, cartography, urban planning, and 3d parametric graphics. 

We formed a world map based on the Dymaxion grid to communicate an all-encompassing view of population density in cities based on probabilistic census data. The map visualizes the earth as one entire urbanized place, instead of unconnected settlements, municipalities, and disparate regions. If we are anticipating growth at this rate almost everything in human society will be comprehensively stressed. This systemic pressure includes: water scarcity, food shortages, overcrowding, air quality depletion, and traffic congestion. The public must be made aware of the consequences related to uncontrolled growth. It is the first step in recognizing a universal challenge in this century. If we cannot foresee the impending difficulty, the potential solutions are hard to justify.

Our Bio City Map displays population density as a parametric graph on the front and the back is made with living biosynthetic transgenic matter. These living elements focus on twenty-five mega-cities, genetically designed and grown inside petri dishes. Our novel approach experimented with living populations that consisted of billions of bacterial cells. We chose colonies of E. coli as a method of demonstrating exponential population growth using synthetic biology.

Population density was represented in two different forms of fluorescent transgenic E. coli under UV light. Glowing red E. coli represented future census projections. While green E. coli represented existing demographic conditions you would find in today’s cities. Micro-stencils derived from CAD files shaped the E. coli into specific geometries that display the current geopolitical boundaries in cities.

Genetic modifications of benign strains of E. coli were carried out at Genspace, the world’s first community based biotech laboratory and at Terreform ONE. Genes cloned from bioluminescent oceanic animals, such as jellyfish and coral, were introduced into bacteria by transformation. These genes encoded information that would enable our transformed microbes to synthesize either GFP or RFP, two brightly fluorescent proteins. The transformed E. coli were then incubated overnight on Petri plates containing agar based media with antibiotics, to select our genetically modified strains. Individual bacteria divided through repeated population doublings to produce colonies containing millions of cells. Each selected cell now expressed our cloned proteins. We then used high-speed centrifugation to concentrate our colonies of transgenic E. coli.

A novel method was used to produce stencil derived bacteria prints for long-term archival quality gallery display and to underscore the highest zones of growth. Ultimately, the bacterial shapes grow to reveal variant patterns of transformation in urban regions. By using biosynthetic materials, we expect to narrow the gap between idealized mathematical interpretations and observable events in nature.

The Bio City Map is an interdisciplinary project that involved cartographers, urban planners, biologists, and architects to complete a manifestation of future population density. We argue that most nations cannot view the effects of planetary population density through the lens of just one city or region. Instead we aimed to reveal the long-range effects of immense human growth in areas of present and speculative urban intensity.

Credits: Mitchell Joachim, Oliver Medvedik, Nurhan Gokturk, Melanie Fessel, Maria Aiolova.

Research Fellows: Chloe Byrne, Keith Comito, Adrian De Silva, Daniel Dewit, Renee Fayzimatova, Alena Field, Nicholas Gervasi, Julien Gonzalez, Lucas Hamren, Patty Kaishian, Ahmad Khan, Laasyapriya Malladi, Karan Maniar, Ricardo Martin Coloma, Puja Patel, Merve Poyraz, Mina Rafiee, Mahsoo Salimi, Manjula Singh, Diego Wu Law.

Our team consisted of a consortium of individuals trained and/or working at the Harvard University Medical School and GSD, MIT Media Lab, NYU Gallatin, Cooper Union, and the nonprofit organizations of Terreform ONE and Genspace.

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*The United Nations (UN) recently released population projections based on data until 2012 and a Bayesian probabilistic methodology. Analysis of these data reveals that, contrary to previous literature, the world population is unlikely to stop growing this century. There is an 80% probability that world population, now 7.2 billion people, will increase to between 9.6 billion and 12.3 billion in 2100.

Gerland, Patrick, et al. “World population stabilization unlikely this century.” Science, Vol. 346 no. 6206 (10 October 2014) pp. 234-237.

Terreform ONE Exhibit + Talk w/ Maria Aiolova at Smart City World Congress in Barcelona

http://www.smartcityexpo.com/en/home

Smart cities for 11 billion people: Mitchell Joachim at TEDxBerlin

Tour of Terreform ONE Studio at New Lab w/ Vimeo

Terreform from Mitchell Joachim on Vimeo.

POSTmatter with Terreform

Terreform ONE design studio explores global population growth in a new sculptural piece, using genetically modified bacteria - by Jonathan Openshaw, POSTmatter.
http://postmatter.com/#/currents/bio-city-map/

New Bio City Map of a Renewable Energy Power Grid for a Planet with Open Geopolitical Boarders - Free Power for All People for Life from Sun, Wind, Geothermal, Biomass, and Hydro sources.
See also: http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/world-map-installation-uses-e-coli-and-jellyfish-proteins-to-illuminate-our-population-in-2100

Biological Urbanism Exhibit of Terreform ONE at OCAD Toronto

Exhibit - Biological Urbanism: An Opera of Disciplines from Architecture, Landscape, Urban Design, Biology, Engineering and Art.
Lisa Deanne Smith, Curator, Onsite [at] OCAD U is engaged in a cultural practice that moves between multiple mediums — art, curating, writing and arts administration — exploring issues of voice, experience and power. Recent curatorial projects at Onsite [at] OCAD University include No Dull Affairs: Karen Lofgren, Vanessa Maltese, Jillian McDonald; Ads for People: Selling Ethics in the Digital Age; and I Wonder: Marian Bantjes. She received an M.F.A. from Cranbrook Academy of Art.
Terreform ONE: Mitchell Joachim, Nurhan Gokturk, Melanie Fessel, Maria Aiolova, and Oliver Medvedik. see: http://archinode.com/terreform-brochure.pdf
Gallery Hours
Tuesday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday, noon to 6 p.m.
Free and Open to the General Public

Bio City World Map - Population of 11 Billion in 2110

The Bio Map City is a forecast of the world population density in the next 100 years. It has been modeled by combining all the world cities together as one continuous growth system. The current phenomena of explosive growth - the "Mega-city" (Shanghai, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Lagos) and the "Instant City" (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Zhengzhou, Ordos) merge together into a continuous urban construct. As human population expands, we see it as one single macro city spread across the continents. Other cities, mainly in the developed world, (Detroit, Leipzig, Manchester) demonstrate the opposite tendency, because they are shrinking at a significant rate. 
We argue that most nations cannot view the effects of planetary population density through the lens of just one city or region. Instead we aim to reveal the long-range effects of massive human population in areas of present and future urban intensity. 
On the reverse side of the mapping installation are focal points of biological details in specific localized city forms. They zoom in on density zones that are dispersed throughout the globe. These points use the technique of "bacteriography" (bacteria photography) to shift scale and underscore the highest zones of growth. Our method creates a real-time parametric display using Gammaproteo Bacterium Escherichia coli Strain K12 in agar medium that has been genetically modified to express color under UV light. The strains used are harmless variants of E. coli, commonly studied all across Europe and the United States. They have been utilized in schools for decades without any safety issues and are considered non-pathogenic and innocuous. 
The Bio Map City forms have been transformed with DNA that encodes fluorescent proteins found in sea anemones and jellyfish. This enables those bacteria to emit red, green, yellow and blue light under long wave UV bulbs. The fluorescent proteins are based on the discoveries of Shimomura, Chalfie and Tsien, who were honored with a Nobel Prize for their work in 2008. Ultimately, the bacterial photos grow to reveal variant patterns of biological transformation in urban regions. 
Rather than using computer code to mimic growth in nature, this method is the actual iterative vehicle of growth itself. Bacteria in this constrained form and under the right conditions, behave almost identically to urban population patterns. Moreover, the resolution of these bio-based city patterns will change with more nuanced biological inputs. In many cases, they are as good as computational versions because they are the source which algorithms are derived from. In time, the mapping installation may illustrate patterns yet unobserved in typical digital models. It is this emergent and unfettered map of population we wish to make into spectacle. By using bio lab based materials, we expect to narrow the gap between idealized mathematical interpretations and observable events in nature. 

Terreform ONE; Mitchell Joachim, Nurhan Gokturk, Melanie Fessel, Maria Aiolova, Oliver Medvedik. Research Fellows; Chloe Byrne, Adrian De Silva, Daniel Dewit, Renee Fayzimatova, Alena Field, Nicholas Gervasi, Julien Gonzalez, Lucas Hamren, Patty Kaishian, Ahmad Khan, Laasyapriya Malladi, Karan Maniar, Ricardo Martin Coloma, Puja Patel, Merve Poyraz, Mina Rafiee, Mahsoo Salimi, Manjula Singh, Diego Wu Law.

TEDxBerlin Talk with Mitchell Joachim, Terreform ONE

http://www.tedxberlin.de/

Mitchell Joachim Lecture at Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design, Moscow

Strelka Institute in Moscow
http://www.strelka.com/mitchell-joachim/?lang=en

Biodesign: On the Cross-Pollination of Nature, Science and Creativity Exhibtion at The New Institute, Rotterdam

Terreform ONE exhibition for Biodesign: On The Cross-Pollination of Nature, Science and Creativity is part of a kaleidoscopic, dynamic collection of exhibitions illuminating different aspects of The New Institute’s agenda for the future. Curator William Myers teaches and writes about the history of architecture and design. He is author of BioDesign: Nature + Science + Creativity, on which the exhibition is based.
http://en.nai.nl/museum/exhibitions/current/item/_pid/kolom2-1/_rp_kolom2-1_elementId/1_1459305

Maria Aiolova appointed Academic Director for Global Architecture + Design, CIEE

August 30, 2013 . For Immediate Release

Maria Aiolova, Co-founder of Terreform ONE and Chair of the ONE Lab New York School for Design and Science, has been appointed Academic Director for Global Architecture and Design of CIEE, the world leader in international education and exchange. Aiolova is an award-winning educator, architect, and urban designer. She has developed new interdisciplinary study abroad programs for U.S. college and university students focused on exploring the creative uses of technology in design. Through the resulting Global Architecture and Design programs, students now have the opportunity to study with faculty who are leading experts in the field; complete hands-on design projects with the potential to positively impact future generations; and work in state-of-the-art studio space located in architecture and design hubs.

Beginning in Spring 2014, Global Architecture and Design will be offered to advanced architecture and design students as a semester program at CIEE Study Centers in Barcelona, Spain; Berlin, Germany; and Prague, Czech Republic. A four-week version of the program will be offered in New York City in summer 2014. This interdisciplinary study abroad program is open to U.S. College and University students focused on exploring the creative uses of technology in architecture and design using the host city as a living laboratory.

The Global Architecture and Design program seeks to generate a new platform for distributed knowledge and collective action. It is designed around the idea that in the future, cities will grow to be self-sufficient in their critical necessities through massive public works and infrastructural support. With the help of today’s experts and innovators in the fields of architecture, material science, urban design, and civil and environmental engineering, students will study the emerging discipline of global “urbaneering” from an interdisciplinary perspective.  Students will study and design projects that optimize, conserve, or reuse natural and built resources, provide healthful environments for occupants, and reduce the environmental impacts of the build environment on future generations.

According to CIEE President and CEO James P. Pellow, “The quality of CIEE’s study abroad programs is our number one priority. By working with the leader in research and education into the crossover of design and science, we can offer architecture and design programs that meet the unique academic requirements and needs of today’s students.”

Visit http://www.ciee.org/study/architecture-design 

CIEE 
A nonprofit, non-governmental organization, CIEE is the world leader in international education and exchange. For 65 years, CIEE has helped thousands of students, professionals, and educators gain the knowledge and skills necessary to live and work in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world by offering the most comprehensive, relevant, and valuable exchange programs available. Today, CIEE offers more than 200 study abroad programs for U.S. college and university students in more than 40 countries and 60 cities worldwide.

Welcome to the Board of Directors, Pat Sapinsley

Pat Sapinsley, CEO, is a LEED AP architect, and Co-Chair of the Committee on the Environment of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. In that capacity, she has worked with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Long Term Planning to modify and implement the Energy Code and further the goals of the Greater Greener Buildings Plan. She is an active member of the US Green Building Council and Urban Green, and a Board Member of Green Light New York. She is an Advisor to Honest Buildings and President of Build Efficiently, LLC which seeks to further the deployment of energy efficient strategies for buildings.

Ms. Sapinsley was recently named a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. There, Ms. Sapinsley will assist in translating biologically-inspired technologies into commercial products through collaborations with clinical investigators, strategic corporate entities, and venture capital investors. 

Prior to starting Build Efficiently, she was Venture Partner at Good Energies, a leading global venture capital firm in the renewable energy and energy efficiency industry, which at the time focused on investments in solar and wind as well as energy efficiency and green buildings. Ms. Sapinsley monitored developments in green building technologies, performed due diligence and industry analysis of energy efficiency start-ups leading to investments in portfolio companies. 

Starting in 1982, Ms. Sapinsley was a principle of Sapinsley Architecture. The firm won awards from numerous architectural organizations and publications, including the American Institute of Architects and the Architectural League. Previously, she worked for both Richard Meier and Partners and for Croxton Collaborative Architects. 

A graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Design (M.Arch.) she also holds a bachelor’s degree from Hampshire College. She is a member of the Harvard Graduate School of Design Alumni Council.

Designboom, Terreform ONE, Fab Tree Hab

http://www.designboom.com/architecture/fab-tree-hab-is-a-living-graft-prefab-structure-by-terreform-one/

Nurhan Gokturk, Director of Innovation at Terreform ONE

Nurhan Gokturk is an artist and urban designer working in New Orleans and New York City. He received his Master Degree from Harvard Design School and his Bachelor of Architecture from Pratt Institute. Additionally he is a partner at Planetary ONE where he has been a leader in various projects on urban design including, "Super Docking". Nurhan founded Hometime L.L.C. which he introduced and developed the first New Orleans style modular home. He then conceived of Project2020, an initiative ot develop 2,020 modular homes as infill strategy on blighted and abandoned lots. Previously, he held the positions of a senior designer at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, and at Kohn, Pederson and Fox both in NY. Most notably, Nurhan has been interviewed on NPR for "Dog days of Summer". He has been featured in Metropolis Magazine, and awarded Gambit's Top 40 under 40 in 2004. See his drawings at: Drawings and Projections

Director of Science at Terreform ONE, Oliver Medvedik, Awarded Visiting Professorship at The Cooper Union

Dr. Oliver Medvedik, Sandholm Visiting Professor of Biology and Bioengineering and Assistant Director of the Maurice Kanbar Center for Biomedical Engineering at The Cooper Union.