Grow

Roman harbor concrete has endured constant seawater for two thousand years while modern reinforced structures fail within decades — and three distinct threads of research, from ancient mineralogy to living bacteria to algae-grown limestone, are separately asking whether concrete could repair and renew itself instead of just wearing out.

How a mushroom-grown tower at MoMA PS1 and a Cardiff University insulation study test whether architecture can be cultivated, not manufactured — and where the material still falls short.