Spatial Generation, Degeneration, and Regeneration Aerotaxis Mechanisms Toward Bio-Integrated Design

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26618/d7synp84

Authors

  • Gita Rahma Mathilda Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia
  • Ariko Andikabina Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia
  • Rini Suryantini Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5375-8243
  • Paramita Atmodiwirjo Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7182-5531

Aerotaxis, Spatial Mechanism, Microorganism, Biological Process, Bio-based Design

Abstract

This study aims to explore spatial mechanism developed within bio-integrated design through exploring the complex natural processes of "aerotaxis". The investigation of aerotaxis employs the Azospirillum brasilense by observing its behavior and interaction within its habitat and to identify possible spatial mechanisms. Azospirillum brasilense, a microorganism known for aiding plant growth and nitrogen fixation, demonstrates a symbiotic relationship with its host, inspiring innovative architectural approaches. By tracing its movement, living pattern and traces show distinct mechanisms such as the generation, degeneration, and regeneration of space. This framework redefines architectural spatial and material concepts that are arguably crucial for a bio-integrated design. The study shows that the aerotaxis mechanism generates spaces as a dynamic continuum where materials are synthesized, consumed, and renewed in balance. Understanding the biological processes offers an alternative framework in designing space structures that align with nature's complex systems. Such an approach provides a pathway to foster a deeper intertwining between architecture and biological processes. As a result, the study highlights the potential of bio-based design mechanisms as a regenerative practice.

Author Biographies

Rini Suryantini, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia

Rini Suryantini is a lecturer at the Department of Architecture Universitas Indonesia. She obtained a Doctoral degree in Architecture (2021) and a Bachelor's degree in Architecture (2002) from Universitas Indonesia. She holds an M.Sc degree in Regional Planning/Spatial Science from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT, formerly Universitaet Karlsruhe, Germany) in 2009. She was awarded a Postgraduate Scholarship for Professionals from the German Academic Exchange Services (DAAD) in 2005 and FuturArc Green Leadership Award in 2019. Her current works are related to domestic and ecological architecture and its relevance to architectural design. She is also interested in exploring the vernacular/traditional architecture of local communities in Indonesia, which triggers her to be involved in supervising the vernacular architecture excursions carried out by the students of Architecture UI. Aside from teaching and research, she involves in various community projects, such as the provision of facilities in public spaces for breastfeeding mothers and the improvement of green infrastructure and river landscapes as part of urban systems. The recent engagement is the initiative of Sekolah Indonesia Cepat Tanggap (SICT), led by Prof. Yandi Andri Yatmo, an initiative to build schools affected by the earthquake and liquefaction disasters in Lombok (2018), Sumbawa, Palu, Sigi (2019), and the most current, Cianjur (2023). In 2019, the initiative won an award from Futurarc Green Leadership Award. She is currently an editorial board member for the ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement and part of the architectural design research cluster at the Department of Architecture, Universitas Indonesia.

Paramita Atmodiwirjo, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia

Paramita Atmodiwirjo is a professor of architecture at the Universitas Indonesia. She studied architecture at the University of Sheffield and Universitas Indonesia and education at the University of Bath. Her research interests are on the relationship between architecture, interior and the users’ behavior, and how such relationship should be the basis for designing for the users’ well-being. Her works particularly focus on the importance of human body in our understanding of architecture and interior, and the needs to pay attention to users with special needs including children, elderly, diffable people and patients in healthcare setting. She is also active in developing learning methods for architectural education, to promote students’ creativity and awareness of the relationship between users and space. She also works closely with schools and communities in various community engagement projects to improve the quality of spaces for learning and living. She has been involved in the development of national standards for educational facilities with the Board of National Standard of Education (BSNP). She has been awarded Holcim Awards Asia Pacific 2011, Teaching Excellence Award 2014 from Faculty of Engineering Universitas Indonesia, IAI Jakarta Award 2012 and Community Engagement Award from Universitas Indonesia in 2010 and 2011. She is the member of scientific committee for Asian Journal of Environment-Behavior Studies (ajE-Bs) and International Journal of Technology, (IJTech), and the secretary for International Association For Lifewide Learning (IAFLL).

References

Alexander, C. (2002). A vision of a living world: an essay on the art of building and the nature of the universe. Center for Environmental Structure.

Bouvard, J., Douarche, C., Mergaert, P., Auradou, H., & Moisy, F. (2022). Direct measurement of the aerotactic response in a bacterial suspension. Physical Review E, 1. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.03.09.483614

Caro, V. D. (2022). Resilience as an investigation of the relationship between architecture and nature. ARSNET, 02(01). https://doi.org/10.7454/arsnet.v2i1.46

Claudia, P., & Marco, P. (2020). Bio-digital aesthetics as value system of post-Anthropocene architecture. International Journal of Architectural Computing, 18(2), 120. https://doi.org/10.1177/14780771209229

Collet, C. (2021). Designing Our Future Bio-Materiality. AI & SOCIETY. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-020-01013-y

Crutzen, P. J. (2002). Geology of Mankind (415, 23 ed.). Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/415023a

Cruz-Hernandez, M. A., Herrera, A. M., Garcia, V. B., & Rivera, G. (2022). Azospirillum spp. from plant growth-promoting bacteria to their use in bioremediation. Microorganisms, 10(1057), 23. 5. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10051057

Elmas, M., Alexiades, V., O'Neal, L., & Alexandre, G. (2019). Modeling aerotaxis band formation in Azospirillum brasilense. BMC Microbiology, 19(101), 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-019-1468-9

Ewida, Y. M. (2024). Spatial synergies: Between humans and non-human citizens: A critical literature review. Journal of Salutogenic Architecture, 3(No 1), 114-124. https://doi.org/10.38027/jsalutogenic_vol3no1_9

Ferrando, F. (2014). Posthumanism, transhumanism, antihumanism, metahumanism, and new materialism. Differences and Relations. Existenz, 8(2), 26-32.

Gazit, M. (2016). Living Matter: Biomaterials for Design and Architecture. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Gibson, J. J. (2014). The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception: Classic Edition. Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315740218

Harani, A. R. (2023). Learning from nature: Exploring systems of plants and animals for form generation. ARSNET, 03(1). https://doi.org/10.7454/arsnet.v3i1.73

Paramita, K. D. (2023). Reinventing architecture through interpretation and reproduction. ARSNET,03(02). https://doi.org/10.7454/arsnet.v3i2.91

Paramita, K. D. (2025). Translating the architectural language of localities. ARSNET, 05. https://doi.org/10.7454/arsnet.v5i1.149

Paramita, K. D., Yatmo, Y. A., & Atmodiwirjo, P. (2024). Multispecies contact zones: The entangled interior grounds of domestic livestock keeping. Taylor and Francis Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1080/20419112.2024.2335022

Pasquero, C. (2020). Bio-digital aesthetics as value system of post-Anthropocene architecture. International Journal of Architectural Computing, 18(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/1478077120922941

Popp, F., Armitage, J. P., & Schüller, D. (2014). Polarity of bacterial magnetotaxis is controlled by aerotaxis through a common sensory pathway. Nature Communications, 5(5398), 9. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms6398

Schleicher, S., Kontominas, G., Makker, T., Tatli, I., & Yavaribajestani, Y. (2019). Studio ne: A new teaching model for exploring bio-inspired design and fabrication. Biomimetics, 4(2), 34. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics4020034

Sekardini, H., & Suryantini, R. (2025). Speculating a swarm-based symbiotic architecture in the era of Mothering Nature. ARSNET, 05(01). https://doi.org/10.7454/arsnet.v5i1.146

Thomsen, M. R., & Tamke, M. (2022). Towards a transformational eco-metabolistic bio-based design framework in architecture. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, 17(No 4). https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-3190/ac62e2

Published

2025-08-31

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 2 (2025): Jurnal LINEARS

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Jurnal Linears

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.