Beckett, R; (2021) Probiotic design. The Journal of Architecture , 26 (1) pp. 6-31. 10.1080/13602365.2021.1880822.

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Abstract

Responding to advances in medical fields that now understand the integral role that bacteria play towards human health, this research proposes a novel probiotic approach towards designing healthy buildings in relation to beneficial microbes. This research fundamentally challenges modern approaches to healthy buildings that assume fewer microbes as the default healthy condition. Probiotic design builds on the contemporary understanding of the microbiome and the need for reintroducing environmental microbial diversity into buildings. The research uses an interdisciplinary approach between microbiology and architecture which aims to develop living materials embedded with beneficial bacteria for buildings to directly shape the indoor microbiome towards a healthier microbial condition. This approach utilises a mix of in vitro and in silico methodologies to explore the design, fabrication, and survival of living probiotic materials. These are then scaled up to building size as a series of probiotic tile surfaces which are in turn installed in a test space to monitor their effect on the indoor microbiome. The research provides evidence of a successful methodology for integrating viable bacteria into ceramic and concrete materials. As these are proved to inhibit the growth of pathogens, they can also directly increase environmental microbial presence towards healthy indoor microbiomes.

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