Biodesign is an emerging field integrating design and science; its rise necessitates a reassessment of educational paths and working spaces for cross-disciplinary explorations, such as working with living materials and adhering to safety standards. The article examines laboratory environments dedicated to biodesign practice and education, varying from low-tech to high-tech setups and from university to community spaces, aiming to clarify the role of workspaces and infrastructures in supporting transdisciplinary research between design and science.

We surveyed Biodesign Laboratories worldwide, addressing the current status quo of various lab configurations and their unique spatial typologies to accommodate biodesign’s hybrid nature.

The result is an overview of the socio-technical topos of the laboratory as a literal breeding ground for (future) biodesigners. The qualitative data reported in this article aim to enhance the understanding of Biodesign Labs by analysing the potential of various laboratory configurations to accommodate biodesign’s hybrid nature, potentially developing unique spatial typologies.

Biodesign has grown significantly in the last decade as an approach focused on designing with biological materials, processes and systems. The inherent transdisciplinarity of biodesign enables it to cut across multiple fields. In this work, we look at how biodesign has recently been applied within Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), a disciplinary field that focuses on the design, development and study of interactive technologies. Subsequently, Biological-HCI (Bio-HCI) has emerged as a rapidly growing and evolving area of research at the intersection of biodesign and HCI. To highlight the nascence of Bio-HCI, we examine three of our own Bio-HCI projects – SCOBY Breastplate, B10-PR1NT and $\mu $Me – as case studies that exemplify how biodesign is being explored through specific, situated practices with a variety of interactive technologies. Through these cases, we identify potential themes and opportunities for Bio-HCI as it continues to push current understandings of computational interaction and promote more sustainable technological futures.

This study discusses the production of Eco-friendly mask using mushroom-based pulps through physicochemical treatment of mushrooms. Ultimately, it explores an approach to reduce the usage of petrochemical materials. Through the treatment of fruiting bodies from two mushroom species, Pleurotus ostreatus (Oyster mushroom) and Flammulina velutipes (Enoki mushroom), pulp was produced. Then, it was used in wet-laid sheet processing to fabricate both pure MBP sheets and composites blended with cotton. The manufactured textile was subjected to various property analyses, including antibacterial test and was also used to produce a mask prototype. In conclusion, although improvements in breathability are currently needed for practical application, the potential for further research is vast and promising. This study contributes to the advancement of sustainable, biodegradable materials as a solution to environmental challenges posed by the widespread use of synthetic polymers.

Biodesign is an emerging disciplinary field that, in its multifaceted nature, finds in transdisciplinarity a promising pathway to address the complex challenges posed by contemporary scenarios. However, specific methodologies that connect the design mindset with the epistemological framework of scientific methods are still lacking. How can we grow the next generation of biodesigners in this scenario? Transdisciplinary dialog provides a foundation for merging design thinking with scientific reasoning, leading to the development of methodologies and educational strategies aimed at creating shared languages and codes that promote synergy between design and science. This study presents the results of a methodological evolution – from multi and interdisciplinary approaches to transdisciplinary ones – through a workshop focused on material design, a course designed to train future biodesigners. This workshop engaged students in collaborative material tinkering activities, working side by side with scientists in an active laboratory setting. The study demonstrates that combining a material-driven design approach with scientific methodologies fosters iterative dialogical relationships, ultimately enriching and substantiating the final design outcomes.

Microbially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation (MICP) provides a biologically driven alternative to conventional cementitious processes, requiring fabrication methods responsive to the dynamics of living systems. This study introduces a submerged soft-casting approach, employing fabric mesh moulds to biocement sand aggregates through the biomineralisation activity of Sporosarcina pasteurii. Developed in “Water Kiln” bioreactors, the process replaces high-temperature curing with controlled liquid-phase mineralisation, generating cemented components assembled into the prototype column EmbryOme 1.

Rather than targeting structural material outputs, the research emphasises exploratory, process-oriented “formation finding,” where microbial activity, substrates, media, and moulds together shape macro form and microstructure. Fabric casts filled with sand and nutrient-rich bacterial suspensions were submerged in cementation solutions to induce calcium carbonate precipitation. Key variables, including mould design, calcium and nutrient concentrations, and media replacement frequency, were systematically adjusted to assess their effect on formation quality.

Optimal outcomes occurred at 0.3 M calcium chloride and urea with daily medium replacement, and smaller mesh sizes produced denser, more uniform crusts. Cementation remained primarily superficial, though glazing treatments enhanced surface hardness. These results underscore the role of design in tuning biological–material interactions, framing biofabrication as a process of negotiation with material agency, variability, and future architectural potential.