Providence

2023

RI, USA

The modular BIOPOD system was piloted for participatory co-creation events with the Providence community to enhance practical skills and understanding of wetlands’ role in the local ecosystem. Our team aimed for community members to construct biopods during guided fabrication workshops that prioritized  accessibility, economy, and ease of construction.

  • Biopod

  • Biopod process

  • An image of the Cultural Center.

The workshops engaged around 34 RISD students and members of the public. The participants were educated about mycelium fabrication through a visual presentation and demonstration accompanied by graphic informational handouts. Over the course of a week, participants teamed up to grow their very own biopod and planted them with native salt-marsh flora.

Our team worked with WaterFire Providence®, an independent nonprofit arts organization, to launch the pods into the Providence River during their annual Clear Currents Waterfire Festival. This community paddling event celebrates improved water quality in RI in August 2023, and was attended by over 10,000 people. The biopods were launched with the help of the kayakers at the Clear Currents event. An information booth featuring a growing biopod was set up alongside the river to educate the community about the project and source feedback.

Two months after the launch, the biopods were presented at the Fifth Annual Stormwater Innovation Exposition, organized by the Rhode Island Green Infrastructure Coalition, the Providence Stormwater Innovation Center, and the Providence Parks Department at Roger Williams Park, to a mixed audience of around 100 experts and hobbyists.

We would like to thank all our community partners for their pivotal role in facilitating this pilot and look forward to our continued collaboration to make the city of Providence a BIOPOD Hotspot.

  • Edna W. Lawrence Nature Lab at RISD

  • Providence Storm Water Innovation Center (SIC) at Roger Williams Park

  • WaterFire Providence®

  • Living Systems Laboratory

This pilot project was supported by RISD’s  Inaugural Somerson Sustainability Innovation Fund (SSIF) grant

Credits & Acknowledgements:

Varun Mehta & Jenny Ugarte (Photography- SSIF Providence Biopod Pilot Launch),

Patent Pending