As urban populations grow and the climate crisis deepens, there is increased urgency to consider the environmental impact of our building materials. Concrete, a staple of modern infrastructure, is a major contributor to global emissions, responsible for about 8% of CO₂ output. To contend with this issue, an alternative, bioreceptive concrete, has emerged, promising a more sustainable path forward. Unlike traditional concrete, bioreceptive concrete is engineered to support mosses, lichens, and other organisms directly on its surfaces, transforming static facades into vibrant, living ecosystems. Two projects, each with unique methods and applications, showcase the potential of this relatively alternative to concrete: the BiotA Lab’s facade panels installed around the city of London and Respyre’s concrete formulation designed to cultivate moss on vertical urban surfaces.
BiotA Lab’s Bio-Receptive Facade Panels: Pioneering Urban Green Surfaces
The BiotA Lab, a design research project 2015-2017 based at The Bartlett School of Architecture in London, developed a bioreceptive technology that can convert building exteriors into “living” surfaces. Led by Professor Marcos Cruz, the project focused on durable concrete facade panels, they engineered materials that naturally support the growth of moss, lichens, and algae. These panels retain moisture effectively by strategically incorporating features like grooves and rough textures, encouraging plant growth with minimal maintenance.
Two installations by BiotA Lab have tested the effectiveness of these panels in real-world settings. The first was at St Anne’s Catholic Primary School in South London, where 32 bioreceptive panels were added to the building’s exterior. This installation aimed to improve air quality while enhancing the school’s aesthetic, creating a greener, healthier environment for students and staff alike. The second project took place at East Putney Station in London, where 20 panels were installed on the station’s exterior. This urban transit setting provided a unique opportunity to evaluate the resilience and environmental impact of bioreceptive surfaces in a high-traffic area.
These panels not only reduce the need for complex support structures required by traditional green walls but also lower long-term maintenance costs. By eliminating the need for irrigation systems, BiotA Lab’s approach offers a self-sustaining solution that naturally incorporates greenery into building design. This approach is particularly promising for dense urban areas with limited green infrastructure space. What makes these panels unique is their specialized surface treatment, which encourages the growth of biofilm and plant life while maintaining the structural integrity of the concrete. This effect is achieved by modifying the texture and composition of the concrete, enabling it to retain moisture and provide nutrients that support plant life.
Respyre’s Moss-Supporting Concrete: Enhancing Vertical Greenery in Amsterdam
While BiotA Lab focuses on concrete that supports various types of green life, Respyre, a Netherlands-based company, specializes in developing bioreceptive concrete designed explicitly for moss on vertical urban surfaces. Known for its resilience and low maintenance needs, moss serves as an ideal candidate for urban greenery projects. Unlike other types of vegetation, moss doesn’t require soil to grow, making it well-suited for vertical surfaces exposed to the elements.
Respyre’s concrete formulation has been applied at Marineterrein Amsterdam Living Lab, an experimental space dedicated to sustainable urban innovations. By coating the exterior walls of selected buildings with Respyre’s bioreceptive concrete, the project aims to turn bare surfaces into thriving, green facades. With its unique ability to thrive in minimal soil and tolerate various weather conditions, moss has taken root on the treated surfaces, creating a low-maintenance, year-round green covering.
The benefits of Respyre’s moss-specific approach are twofold. First, moss absorbs particulate matter, improving air quality and reducing pollution in the surrounding area. Second, moss’s natural water retention helps reduce urban heat and enhances the aesthetic appeal of otherwise monotonous concrete structures. Marineterrein Amsterdam Living Lab serves as a live testing ground for Respyre’s innovation, allowing researchers to monitor how well the moss-covered concrete performs under real-world conditions.
Respyre’s concrete is particularly special in its tailored formulation to maximize moss growth without excessive maintenance. Its design considers the physical and chemical properties needed for moss to thrive, creating a bioclimatic environment in dense urban spaces where traditional greenery may struggle to survive.
Flexibility vs. Specialization
While both projects share the common goal of using concrete to support green life, their approaches highlight distinct methods and outcomes. BiotA Lab’s Facade Panels are designed to host a variety of plant life, including moss, lichen, and algae, providing a flexible solution for diverse environments and aesthetics. This versatility allows the panels to adapt to various climates and light conditions, offering an adaptable green facade that can sustain multiple types of flora. However, their primary focus is on more robust installations that could cover larger building facades, transforming these into semi-natural habitats.
In contrast, Respyre’s moss-oriented concrete takes a specialized approach by focusing exclusively on supporting moss. This specificity has several advantages: moss requires minimal resources to thrive, needs no soil, and has natural resilience to urban pollutants. However, Respyre’s material may have limitations in terms of the types of environments and locations it can be applied to, as it’s optimized solely for moss growth.
The modularity of BiotA Lab’s panels could be more advantageous for projects aiming to support a variety of flora and require flexibility in urban landscaping. On the other hand, Respyre’s moss-centric model may appeal to projects that prioritize low-maintenance greenery in dense urban areas where soil and space are scarce.
Toward a Greener, More Sustainable Future
As these projects demonstrate, bioreceptive concrete has the potential to redefine urban landscapes by seamlessly integrating greenery into our built environment. The BiotA Lab’s adaptable facade panels and Respyre’s moss-supporting concrete formulation provide architects, designers, and urban planners with innovative tools to address environmental challenges. Each project highlights different facets of what bioreceptive technology can offer—whether through broad ecological versatility or specialized green solutions for urban air quality and aesthetics.
As we continue to explore ways to reduce the environmental impact of concrete, bioreceptive technologies represent a promising frontier in sustainable architecture. Whether through multi-species adaptability or specialized applications like moss cultivation, these projects offer a glimpse into a future where cities not only house human life but also serve as vibrant, green ecosystems.
