Concept and Consortium
\”Photo.Synth.Etica Curtain\” by ecoLogicStudio, image/information source: ecoLogicStudio
PhotoSynthetica is an innovation venture led by ecoLogicStudio (Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto), developed with academic partners such as UCL’s Urban Morphogenesis Lab and the University of Innsbruck’s Synthetic Landscapes Lab. The platform aims to integrate living photosynthetic systems into architecture and public space, treating buildings as active carbon sinks and bio-power plants rather than passive envelopes.photosynthetica+2
Photo.Synth.Etica Curtain Prototype
The flagship Photo.Synth.Etica installation is a large-scale “urban curtain” composed of 16 bioplastic photobioreactor modules, each roughly 2 × 7 m. Each module encloses serpentine tubes filled with a water–microalgae medium, creating a lightweight, translucent façade that can be hung on existing buildings or scaffolds.dezeen+3
How the System Works
Unfiltered urban air is drawn in at the bottom of the curtain and bubbled upward through the liquid inside the tubes. As air rises, microalgae absorb CO₂ and pollutants via photosynthesis, growing into biomass while oxygen is released at the top back into the urban microclimate. The resulting algal biomass can then be harvested and used to produce bioplastic raw material, effectively closing the loop between façade structure and its own metabolic output.scalemag+5
Materials, Components, and Digital Control
PhotoSynthetica panels are based on ETFE-like or bioplastic cladding elements that are lightweight, robust, transparent, and chemically inert, but repurposed as habitats for algal cultures rather than mere weather skins. The system integrates “hardware, wetware, and software”: custom modules and piping, specific microalgae strains, and a digital control system that monitors microclimate and growth conditions while predicting carbon-capture performance. Sensors and a robotic design–fabrication workflow allow tailoring of panel geometry, surface pattern, and density to each façade orientation and site.photosynthetica+2
Role in Regenerative and Urban Design
Photo.Synth.Etica demonstrates how façades can become productive environmental infrastructures that reduce energy use, filter air, sequester carbon, and generate biomass within dense urban settings. As part of the broader PhotoSynthetica family, it serves as a demonstrator for future scalable systems—curtains, cladding, or canopies—that fuse architectural expression with measurable climate and air-quality benefits.worldarchitecture+6
