Architecture Must Rot: Gaiarama 1.0

Throughout history, orthodox building practice has maintained that rot is a silent and persistent threat with the capacity to compromise the material strength and stability of buildings. By extension, rot undermines the symbolic value of architecture as shelter, protection and separation from the environment.

From an ecological standpoint, however, rot is understood in starkly different terms. Rot is a vital contributor to recycling and regenerative processes, unlocking and reintroducing nutrients back into the environment.

How might we think about rot in a more nuanced way within an architectural context? Could we reimagine it as a partner rather than just a threat? Could the process of rot contribute to the creation of materials and structures that are ecologically connected in positive rather than negative ways?

To explore these questions, this exhibit engages processes of rot mediated by fungi in combination with woven structures. The explorations on display reveal complex conditions poised between the intended and the unintended, building and unbuilding, and decay and renewal. The intention is to provoke a rethinking of core values of architecture – inviting a shift from fictitious ideals of permanent material and symbolic identity, towards acknowledging and embracing the realities of persistent transformation.

A series of hanging terraria feature living fungi that are actively transforming and reshaping their woven surroundings, revealing them as occupants and co-creators. One group of terraria exposes the potential threats of flourishing communities; the other group reveals a more orchestrated partnership.

The diorama presents an architectural scenario that suggests how rot can participate as material creator and ecological interface, framing and connecting everyday activities in alternative ways that are grounded in regenerative processes mediated by fungi.