The Tough Tech problem we are solving
Current construction methods rely on bulky materials, skilled labor, and complex machinery— expensive, high–carbon footprint processes responsible for 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The heavy logistics required in these methods also make them highly infeasible to deploy in remote locations, including outer space.
Meanwhile, Nature builds all around us—cheaply, autonomously, and with minimal logistics. A seed becomes a tree: no cranes, molds, or emissions—just morphogenesis-driven self-construction. Thus, we believe biological systems hold the key to a new construction paradigm. However, current biofabrication approaches overlook the inherent morphogenetic power of living materials and continue to rely on external tools to shape them such as molds, casts, and 3D printers. This limits autonomy, adds logistical burden, drives up cost and carbon footprint, and ultimately defeats the purpose of using biological materials for construction in the first place.
We need a new biofabrication approach—one that leverages biology’s superpower: the ability to shape itself. Only then can we unlock the full benefits of living materials for building in resource-limited environments and beyond.
About our solution
Morphitectica pioneers a new biofabrication paradigm for architectural construction by leveraging synthetic morphogenesis, an emerging subfield of synthetic biology. Instead of externally shaping biomaterials, we reprogram living cells to harness their innate morphogenetic capabilities—enabling them to autonomously grow into precise, functional building components such as lightweight load-bearing bricks, modular panels, and adaptive elements.
Founded by Dr Gizem Gumuskaya—an MIT-trained architect and synthetic biologist who developed the world’s first self-constructing living architectures by design—Morphitectica replaces heavy materials and machinery with engineered biological “seeds,” which are vastly lighter and easier to transport. These seeds are delivered to remote sites or brought aboard spacecraft and, once activated, grow in situ into robust, adaptable structures.
This transformative method streamlines logistics, cuts payload mass from tons to grams, eliminates the need for manual labor or robotic assembly, and dramatically reduces cost and complexity—unlocking autonomous construction in environments where traditional construction is not possible. And in on-the-grid settings, it opens the door to ultra-low-carbon fabrication by eliminating high-emission processes like kilning, molding, and material transport.