2084

The biotechnological era has begun.

What do we make of it?


Microbial cell factories are already in use: Cyanobacteria convert carbon dioxide from the air and water into bioplastics thanks to DNA building blocks from the Arctic mackerel – using only the energy of the sun. Genetically modified yeast produces vanilla taste, other nature-identical rose scents. By means of natural metabolic processes, even other microorganisms produce ethanol fuel.

Thanks to synthetic biology, which specifically alters DNA beyond breeding and cross-breeding, the variety of possibilities is growing rapidly: tailor-made protein machines in bacteria, algae, plants as well as animals and humans produce customized materials, structures and functions.

How does biotechnology – the key technology of the 21st century – change the design and production process? What does the industrial designer’s job consist of when he works with DNA building blocks instead of CAD data?

After intensive workshops and discussions with biotechnologists and independent research, the aim of the course was to develop realistic and sustainable product, production and application concepts for the year 2084, that take up the potentials of biotechnology, critically examine them and translate them into concrete scenarios.

We ask you the question: What if…?