ICAT Playdate: Rooted Design: GnetoGroot: Shaping Architecture Through Engineered Growth

Term: Fall 2026

Date: September 18th, 2026

Time: 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.

Location: Community Assembly in the Creativity + Innovation District Living-Learning Community 

Instructors: Phyllis Newbill & Jennifer Lancaster,

Presented By: Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT)

Description:

What if material fabrication could shift from assembly to growth—and be directed with precision through external fields? This work introduces magnetotropic plants: genetically engineered organisms in which gravity-sensing organelles (statoliths) are rendered magnetically responsive. By replacing gravitational cues with externally applied magnetic fields, plant growth direction can be actively controlled in real time. This enables programmable morphogenesis, where biological growth becomes a steerable process rather than a fixed outcome of genetics and environment. The presentation will outline the biological mechanism, the experimental framework, and the implications of this approach for material production. Magnetic fields act as an invisible, non-contact control layer, allowing spatial and temporal guidance of growth without mechanical intervention. Beyond applications in microgravity environments such as space, this work suggests a broader shift in how we produce materials—moving from extractive, energy-intensive processes toward growth-driven fabrication, where form emerges from the interaction between engineered biology and designed environmental conditions.

 

Speakers:

Giorgia Cannici, Assistant Professor Advanced Building Design, School of Architecture