Designing with the Living: The Emerging Paradigm of Biofabrication

The paper examines biofabrication as an emerging paradigm in material design, exploring transdisciplinary approaches, innovative educational practices, and concrete applications at the intersection of design and biosciences. The contribution presents teaching and research experiences that promote alternative and sustainable production models. It illustrates research activities carried out within the Biodesign Research Unit and the design of a biodesign laboratory. These experiences aim to bridge the methodological and infrastructural gap that currently separates design from science. In this way, biofabrication emerges as a strategic field for addressing the ecological transition and redefining the relationship between design, nature, and materials.