Vera BardinGraphic designer and visual artist based in Zurich, currently studying interaction design at ZHdK.2026_Paper:Play
2025_Protolichen
2025_Data Vocabulary
2025_Line Call
2024_Taronjers
2024_El Cabañal
2024_Urban Weave
2024_Collector’s
2023_Tiles TalesArchiveContactInfo

Project_2025_Protolichen

Video

© 2025 ZHdK

© Exhibited at Ars Electronica
2025, No Plan B, nominated for the AE Campus Prize

 
In collaboration with:
Massimo Bordogna (CH),
Sacha Schwarz (CH), 
Leon Junge (DE)
#Biodesign

Urban heat islands in Zurich, caused by concrete and asphalt, worsen temperature rise, energy demand, air quality, and health risks. Greening methods like trees or moss require space, water, and maintenance, which makes them unsuitable for dense cities. Instead, we focus on lichens, resilient organisms thriving in extreme conditions with minimal upkeep. By imagining a biomaterial inspired by lichens, we propose a sustainable solution to cool cities and rethink our relationship with nature.

Thinking back to what has been learnt from the collaborative symbiosis that characterises the survival strategy of lichens, the imaginary future of urban spaces could include more and more life forms coexisting with people and everyday life. Nature is constantly cooperating, taking a cue from its strategies and including them in cities could foster a future more connected to the life forms we share the planet with.

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