Lichenized Living
A living concrete facade that lets lichen slowly repair the damage of building materials.
Human extraction and industrialization has faltered the balance of our planet. As far as building materials go, concrete is the largest contributor to CO2 emissions, emitting carbon throughout the entirety of its lifetime and cement reacts with water. Ancient forests offer the oldest example of how to live in symbiosis with our planet. Lichen itself is the manifestation of symbiosis. Algae nestled into a mycelium structure allows it to survive in environments it otherwise couldn't. In return, the photosynthetic alga provides sugary food for the fungus. What if these micro-alchemists could begin to eat away at the damage created by our built environment?