Makoko 2035: An Encyclopedia

Bioarchitecture

Bioarchitecture is a school of architectural design in which buildings are grown, instead of constructed. The term originally referred to any kind of ecologically-conscious architecture, or buildings that reflected structures found in nature, but in the late 2020s scientists and architects began to posit that a mix of 3D printing technologies, accelerated-growth engineered organics (the result of third-generation CRISPR technology) and a worldwide demand for more sustainable approaches following the global economic crash meant the world was primed for truly organic buildings. A number of university programs in the subject began to appear around the world, including at the University of Lagos. 

Unfortunately, bioarchitecture's very promise of a vastly cheaper, more accessible form of housing makes it unpopular among more autocratic governments. As visualized in the work of afrofuturist graphic novelist Michael Mwonaji, bioarchitecture holds a great amount of promise for communities like Makoko, who might be able to grow permanent housing that would prove more resistant to attempts by the Lagosian government to destroy it. Some emerging bioarchitects, such as Nada Achebe, are dedicated to developing fire-resistant strains of the kudzu-like organisms engineered to serve as the primary material for such buildings.

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