PLP Labs Publishes Symbiocene Architecture: Rethinking How We Build with Nature

What if architecture could help us reconnect with nature – not by dominating it, but by working in harmony with it? Symbiocene Architecture, the new book from PLP Labs, imagines this possibility. Exploring the promise of mycelium – the root-like networks of fungi – the book sets out a vision for a new design paradigm, where buildings are grown, not built, and where the built environment becomes regenerative by design.

Positioned at the intersection of science, design and ecology, Symbiocene Architecture captures a two-and-a-half-year research journey into mycelium bio-composites. Developed in partnership with the University of Cambridge, PLP Labs’ work blends hands-on experimentation with wider environmental thinking – culminating in a striking demonstrator exhibit showcased at key London design festivals in 2023.

Featuring a foreword by mycologist Merlin Sheldrake and an afterword by environmental philosopher Glenn A. Albrecht, the book speaks to a shift in architecture’s role in the climate crisis – from extractive to collaborative, from parasitic to symbiotic. Symbiocene Architecture is a call to imagine what comes after the Anthropocene – and how we might build for it.