Maria Aiolova from Terreform One

Biodesign is a field of design that incorporates living organisms in the creation of new materials and products that can enhance our living. As designers we aim to create products in a way that pleases us aesthetically while being as efficient as possible. We have seen the consequences of not considering the environment when it comes to production and manufacturing. It’s time for a paradigm shift in the way we create, think, and live. Applying the tools of synthetic biology, alongside other biological disciplines, such as microbiology and medical tissue engineering, will allow us to create products that are a hundred percent organic, with minimal waste and energy expenditure. Our aim is to use grown materials to reshape the way people think about manufacturing products and genetic engineering.

Maria Aiolova is an educator, architect, urban designer and community builder in New York City. Maria is an innovator in ecological design, smart cities, sustainable urban infrastructure, water, transportation and waste. She is a leader in interdisciplinary education focused on future cities. Maria is the Co-Founder of Terreform ONE where she created ONE Lab, an experimental school that combines design and science in a singular curriculum. She served as the Academic Director of Global Programs at CIEE, where she created programs in Berlin, Barcelona, Prague, Shanghai, Cape Town and New York. Maria is an inventor, who holds 18 technology patents.

Organized by ITP Resident, Jingwen Zhu