Our habitat today is being fundamentally transformed by revolutions in biotechnology, computation and climate change. Bio-Integrated Design MSc takes these life-changing phenomena as a foundation to explore radical, sophisticated, yet also critical, design solutions to shape our future society. Our urban environments are being reshaped by breakthroughs in biotechnology, computational design, and the urgent challenges of climate change. UCL’s Bio-Integrated Design master’s degree responds to these shifts by forging innovative approaches to design —ones that are radical, refined, and critically engaged with the demands of our evolving society. Nature is at the heart of the course—not just as inspiration, but as an active agent within the design process. Students explore solutions that integrate biological, material, and social systems to envision more resilient and responsive future cities. Taught jointly by UCL's Department of Biochemical Engineering and The Bartlett School of Architecture, Bio-Integrated Design MSc brings together a diverse community of academics, practitioners, and students. Through a combination of conceptual design, iterative experimentation, and laboratory-based prototyping, students engage with cutting-edge developments in synthetic biology, materials science, and digital technologies. By applying living systems to the built environment, students create new forms of architecture and products that reimagine how we live, grow, and interact with our urban environments. This course is ideal for students from a scientific background, with an undergraduate degree in biology, biotechnology and synthetic biology; civil, biochemical and environmental engineering and material science. Students from other technical backgrounds who can demonstrate skills and experience from iGEM or biohacking are welcomed. This course is also open to students from architecture or other design backgrounds who can demonstrate a strong scientific ability, academically or professionally.
