THE LIVING WINDOW

Scenario
In 2084, around 11 billion people will populate the earth. Global warming has risen by 2.5°C on the earth’s surface, which means that sea level has also risen by 80 cm. The majority – about 85 percent – of humanity will live in cities. However, dense development cannot be prevented because the area available to house and feed humanity has diminished. This means that we will be forced to accept a large number of new neighbours. Another point is the Internet of Things. In 2084, all devices are connected via the internet and know you better than you know yourself. It has taken us to a new level of the transparent man. But there is also something good to be gained from this: The crime rate has dropped significantly due to accurate predictions. The image of privacy has changed. We want to counteract this and turn people’s attention back to the beautiful things in the world.

Project description
The window has always been the connection and at the same time the separation of two worlds. On the one hand, you can hide and feel safe behind a window. On the other hand, it is also the perfect place to show yourself. It is the gateway to the world. The window also serves as a means of spatial orientation for people to relate to their environment.
Our aim was to use synthetic biology to dissolve the separation between the inside and outside world and to involve nature more in the design of space and atmosphere. The user should have more control over what he sees and what others see of his space. We designed the living window on the one hand to get more space for oneself and privacy in a world that has become narrow and transparent, and on the other hand to sharpen one’s awareness and senses for the environment.

Production
In the future it will be possible to grow whole organs and not to produce them via the bypass of bio-printing. We breed an organ that has similarities to the eye but takes on other dimensions. It is industrially produced in Petri dishes. We have a cell that carries all the DNA information for the layers listed on the previous page. This is put on a nutrient solution and starts to grow. In the future there is certainly the possibility that the window can grow directly on the spot, because you have to ask yourself the questions: What will the house look like in 50 years? It would be conceivable that the window would take over the function of the complete façade.

Advantages / Properties

room climate is regulated with regard to oxygen and humidity content
the window membrane changes the refractive index in the micrometer range.
the visible world / reality can be shifted, enlarged and reduced. By touching it, the lens is deformed using the muscle cells. The arrangement of the proteins in the lens changes and different refraction angles are created. The water content in the stromal layer can also be increased by touch, so that the cornea becomes cloudy.
light situations can be adjusted with the help of natural light. A better use of the available light takes place. Moods can be created.
the organic membrane absorbs street noise better, is lighter and more flexible than conventional glass.
it also saves resources (silicon) and is recyclable because the window is integrated into the natural cycle.

Manifest by Felix Seltmann