Parasitic 

Architecture 

 
Sasha Bekirova 
G BAnd  
11/29/17   
 What is Parasitic Architecture?
Parasitic architecture in my own words would be described as a structure coming out of a
building which creates a public statement of rebellion or change towards the urban society. The
structure cannot exist without its host, showing how buildings in architecture are usually added
onto and expanded rather than demolished and replaced with new ideas, especially in New York
City where we get a mix of old and new complexes. In other words, it’s a reuse of collected
energy of past construction adding something unnatural and new to its environment, as described
in a mutualistic coexistence of an old and new system showing stability and wonder for both.
Furthermore, it is also a transfer of energy into a new system where it exploits the host to
survive. They are also statements of social justice and can be used to expose hidden truths and
urban problems within society, such as building a parasite about women’s rights off of a
gentleman’s club, the effects of technology or money off of Wall Street, or a home for the
homeless. Present architecture is described as a fertile breeding ground to bring societal and
urban structures together. Like with actual parasites, an immunological reaction always occurs in
reaction, such as approval and protection (the immune system as a reaction to provocation),
disgust (the random immune system that doesn’t want to stir up fear or change), or no
importance (either because of camouflage or societal deception like HIV/AIDs), creating a battle
between the first two (usually between liberals and conservatives in modern societies, which can
even be compared to Southern Confederate statues). Therefore, society is metaphorically the host
for all parasitic architecture; depending on the outlook and reactions of its construction, the new
structure can either thrive or disappear, showing how it’s a subculture and a form of rebellion
and those that support it will fight for its recognition and approval. They also represent the hope
of social and norm changes where political, societal, and cultural problems are at work to be
displayed, representing the density of ideas that parasites evolve from.
Parasitic architecture (or Gross Form) originates from the German architect, OM Ungers,
who explains it as part of a dynamic society. The specific term parasite originates from priests
involved with sacrifices. The current biological definition is a symbiosis where the parasite
exploits its host for its selfish advantages at the host’s expense without killing it in order to use
all of its resources; the immune system of the host can’t hurt the parasite without hurting itself.
Like in architecture, the survival of the parasite depends on the survival of the host (a parasite is
nothing without its host). Out of the three forms of symbiosis (parasitism, commensalism where
one benefits and the other is unaffected, and mutualism where both benefit), the closest form in
architecture is mutualism since I believe that both the host and parasite gain from each other.
Although there’s a transfer of energy to create the new structure, the host is looked at differently
and it itself becomes a statement with a different outlook without the parasite; it exposes the
topics or problems that arise from the parasite. The host isn’t hurt since it cannot be destroyed
and new attention is called upon it, despite being either negative or positive. For example, an old
forgotten church is used, therefore sparking both controversy and new admiration. But it’s
important to know the weaknesses of the host in order to create more meaningful statements that
show what the host (both society and the building) lack or stand for. Like a political campaign,
it’s important to spread a parasite’s influence to see the positivity it imposes on society.

“Parasite Paradise”

Daniel Libeskind

“To provide meaningful architecture is not to parody history but to articulate it.”

Parasitic Apartments

New York Parasitic Architecture

 What is Biomimicry?
Biomimicry is the study of engineering mathematics inspired by nature. The Biomimicry
Institute copies nature to be more resourceful with energy put into human architecture and
engineering, such as copying a spider’s web, the limestone of coral, a spider’s abdomen for fiber
production, shells (for screwdrivers) and waterlilies. The institute mainly does this for a
statement of social change, backed up by Janine Benyus, author of ​Beastly Behaviors​, who says
that every green “thing” has an engine of its own and the institute’s work is “no longer a green
design, just good design.” Similarly, Peter Fiske, a scientist who designs architectural and
engineering structures out of natural principles, talks about a necessity for a global biomedical
efficiency and “mimicking what nature does at the global scale.” One of his designs include a
water distribution system from a tree and its roots, contributing value to Michael Pawlyn’s
concept of “Using Nature’s Genius in Architecture.” He notes that energy will be saved through
“natural copying” through a radical increase in resource energy (such as building greenhouses in
irregular environments and creating pressurized membranes), creating linear to closed loops (to
increase diversity over time, turn citu waste into useful resources, and to create symbiotic
relationships), and using fossil fuels for a solar economy (humans use energy 10,000 times more
than the Sun).
It’s important to understand that nature repeats its same structures and strengthens them
through evolution and adaptation because they efficiently work. For example, some beetles can
detect a forest fire that’s spreading from 80 kilometers away and others in desert environments
create their own water due to hydrophilic bumps. To increase environmental efficiency, scientists
need to add to existing systems for more value.

Antoni Gaudi and Biomimicry

 Case Studies
● How Emerging Technologies and Biomimicry can Help Solving Water Problems: Desert
Case Studies
https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/how-emerging-technologies-and-biomimicry-c
an-help-solving-waterproblems-desert-case-studies-2329-8863-1000e130.php?aid=61694
By 2050, Earth’s population will increase to nine billion, but by 2030, half will be threatened by
diminishing safe drinking water. By using biomimicry, engineers are able to use desert animal
and natural techniques to save water resources through decontamination, water collection, and
purification. One technique is fog harvesting where ​vertical canvas are used to make fog
condense into droplets of water and flow down towards a trough below the canvas without any
external energy when the air has enough moisture that could be captured and turned into drinking
water. The next is water filtration where plants, tree seeds, ashes, feces, and the Sun are used to
purify water so it could be safe to use. Another is laser cloud seeding where first silver iodide
crystals are used to generate clouds and then laser pulses take away the electrons from atoms
from clouds, causing the creation of ​hydroxyl radicals​, which allow sulphur and nitrogen
dioxides in the air to allow water droplets to grow. The next is biomimetic dew harvesters which
is based off of the stenocara beetle that lives in the Namib Desert in Southern Africa where it
collects dew on its back due to wax ​nanostructure ​on the surface of its wings. This in turn can
inspire the creation of water trapping tents, building coverings, and water condensers and
engines. The next is the wind turbine where Eole Water recovered 500 to 800 ounces of water
from one day from dry desert air in the United Arab Emirates. Another foundation, Warka
Water, recovers gallons of water a day from the air. The structure has a rigid outside to resist
tough winds with and inside of a mesh net made of nylon or ​polypropylene​ that collects dew
from the outside, and when the cold air condenses and droplets roll down to the bottom of the
container, water passes through a purifying tube that is then connected to above the surface
systems. The next is ​Sietch Nevada (an oasis in desert) where it stores water in aquifers and
tunnels which act as irrigation channels underground. It also harvests surface water, generates
energy from renewable resources, and grows food. The next is LEAF (a self generating water
source) which can produce 20 ounces of water a day which is a condensation unit that mimics a
leaf where condensations from dew forms into water droplets and is purified through a sand
filtration system all through solar energy. The last is the iceberg rodeo which was thought of by
French engineer, Georges Mougin, thirty years ago and consisted of using glacial ice for drinking
water instead of allowing it to melt into the ocean.

Fog Harvesting Laser Cloud Seeding Stenocara Beetle

 ● Flippers Provide Lift, Reduce Drag
https://asknature.org/strategy/flippers-provide-lift-reduce-drag/#.Wf_tztOGP6Z
Humpback whales have bumps known as tubercles that are found on their elongate pectoral
flippers that are both symmetrical and mobile. They increase flow and aerodynamic efficiency by
disrupting the line of pressure, allowing the whales to use the ocean to better maneuver
themselves at sharper angles at any speed, associated with their feeding behavior of bubble net
feeding. Water is drawn to the valleys of the tubercles that allow the flipper to lift and maneuver.
A study has shown an increase of 32% reduction in drag, 8% improvement in lift, and a 40%
increase in angle of attack over smooth flippers, similar to smooth leading edges of turbines and
other kinds of blades. WhalePower, a wind turbine project, is applying this knowledge to HVAC
systems and computer fans.
 ● Mound Facilitates Gas Exchange
https://asknature.org/strategy/mound-facilitates-gas-exchange/#.Wf_urNOGP6Z
Mound-building macro termites create vertical homes made up of soil, saliva, and dung
measuring up to several meters high with routes of tunnels underneath underground.
The mounds act like lungs for gas exchange between the underground nests and the air above
ground outside the mound. Due to outside temperature, the nest changes in heat due to the
surrounding soil but which has a large thermal capacity where it absorbs large amounts of heat
before experiencing actual changes in temperature to its surroundings. As temperature changes
and the Sun hits different spots of the mound throughout the day, currents of rising and falling air
are created inside due to the temperature gradient between the mound periphery and center. Also,
wind energy allows mixing of outside and inside air, facilitating gas exchange in the nest. For
humans, energy-saving climate control systems can be created from the biomimicry of these
termites. In addition, regular walls of buildings are made as barriers to isolate a definite space
shielding the area from the outside yet window and fans are used to regulate the temperature
within, essentially undoing what the walls first did. Using termite behavior, we can build walls as
adaptive interfaces where energy across the wall isn’t blocked but managed by the wall itself for
a comfortable environment inside by saving money and energy.
 ● Self-Shaping Shelters that could Revolutionize Emergency Housing
https://inhabitat.com/self-assembling-shelters-that-could-revolutionize-emergency-housin
g/
Haresh Lalvani, working in the ​Pratt Institute Center for Experimental Structures​, was inspired
by the modern and never- ending refugee crisis to create easy to make emergency homes. His
goal is to create one thin sheet of metal that would assemble itself in less that one minute into its
own shape that would assemble, repair, grow, and evolve on its own, generating futuristic
geometry and an ephemeral building type. These are being made by converting 2D sheets of
perforated metals into 3D rigid structures through a robotic laser cutter that creates variable
openings into the sheets which can be stretched apart, allowing for flexibility and the creation of
individual shapes. Lalvani’s idea derived from stem cells and genes in the human body that
follow genomic instructions encoded in raw material in DNA (the homes are given the power to
shape themselves) since the human body is “the only place where software and hardware are the
same thing.”
 Personal Case Study
In order to make an effective political statement, I chose coral to represent climate
change and the harmful man-made effects on the environment. Corals represent the essence of
life and show that everything, despite not being able to move or look like an animal, is breathing
and alive. As an example of human harm, the Great Barrier Reef, a stretch of corals and marine
life for 4,600 miles near Australia, is about 50 percent dead and bleached (loss of color) due to
rising ocean temperatures, harmful acidic levels from fossil fuels and gas, and overfishing of
wildlife. The reef is home to not only 845 species of corals but also almost 2,000 forms marine
life, and with their endangerment comes the endangerment of many other animals. I’ve always
loved snorkeling and exploring the water that we know so little about. I think that corals
specifically represent art in its purest and natural form due to their many beautiful pigments,
shapes, and structures. Corals are made up of biogenic lime (calcium carbonate, what human
bones are composed of) but also 99 percent water, so they are very vulnerable (especially
s​ponges, worms, and bivalves)​. They protect themselves with a tough exoskeleton composed of a
storage of limestone. There are three different types of coral reefs with different architectural
purposes: the fringing reef, a shallow lagoon, that borders shores, the barrier reef, the barrier reef
that forms when land masses sink, and the atoll that surround a central lagoon in the shape of a
circle. As a result, because of climate change and the increasing numbers of natural disasters
(including the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef), I’m inspired to use limestone and calcium
carbonate in building homes resistant to hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes since
corals protect themselves well from predators and ocean movement. Plus, it would be positively
uplifting to create some homes with the beautiful colors of the ocean!
Biomineralization expert Brent Constantz of Stanford University was inspired to create a
new type of cement that would remove carbon dioxide from the air. His company, Calera,
dissolves carbon dioxide from a local power plant in seawater (the colder the water the more
CO2 is dissolved) that forms carbonate that mixes with (natural) calcium in the water (higher
concentrations of CO2 cause more carbonate to form). This creates cement similar to corals’
exoskeletons made up of limestone (without the need to mine for limestone which threatens
groundwater purity, habitats, causes sinkholes, and spreads airborne dust). Constantz’s goal is to
biomimic coral mineralization and calcification (specifically calcium carbonate precipitation),
noting that because of evolution, they had to adapt “specialized structures” because of their
ocean environment that would hurt their survival.

Calcium Carbonate Precipitation

 Host Building and Concept
I chose 250 Vesey Street as my host building (with the dimensions of 250 by 225 feet and
500 feet tall) because it’s a symbol of home to me. I pass by it everyday to and from school or
wherever else I go. When I take long walks, I know I’m almost home when I see it. I’m
underneath it when I’m shopping, buying food, walking my dogs, or hanging out with friends. It
has also been the view from my bedroom for three years since I moved to Manhattan. I wake up
everyday to its magnificent and breathtaking sight. Aside from my love of the building, it’s the
Fourth World Trade Center in memorial of 9/11, is part of the Brookfield Complex, and is home
to the international headquarters and trading floor of Merrill Lynch.
Despite my admiration for this building, it represents how money and materialism has
transitioned into the core root of our homes, shaping how we run our everyday lives. By
choosing this building, I would be able to display a social statement that would portray caring
more for our natural surroundings and preserving Mother Nature. We forget what’s most
important and we don’t think about the consequences of our actions. There might not be a Earth
to live on in the next 50 years, and it’s up to my generation to fix it (or at least prolong our
survival).

Coral would serve as an intervention in order to advocate animal importance and display
what society should value more (while the Great Barrier Reef is dying and many animals are
endangered because of poaching and habitat destruction due to human involvement, we are more
concerned with making money). Because of the need to save energy, my parasitic architecture
would represent the change of using cement which omits harmful greenhouse gases and harms
the topsoil to using calcium carbonate to build buildings (without mining for limestone which is
hazardous for the environment and atmosphere).
 In the artistic aspect, the intervention is very colorful and seems to be growing and
expanding over the host building and in turn, creating a natural protective barrier over the walls
(like how coral reefs protect shorelines). It mimics coral reefs and different structures.
In the architectural aspect, the intervention includes balconies depicted to be expanding
from the corals and made from calcium carbonate. The new aspects of the building serve as a
protective yet natural barrier from the atmosphere, allowing it to last just as long as the toughest
cement and concrete.
To build my parasite (which feeds off of the energy of 250 Vesey Street in the sense of
advocacy for protecting the environment), I used plaster to create a tough and heavy exterior that
mimics coral. I then used hot glue to create anemone-like structures. For the balconies, I covered
rectangular pieces of wood in plaster. After all was in place and dried, I painted over the new
structure to resemble the color of the ocean.