MISSION
Intention: Terreform ONE [Open Network Ecology] is a 501c3 nonprofit art, architecture, and urban design research group. We endeavor to combat the extinction of all planetary species through pioneering design acts. In addition, our projects aim to illuminate the environmental possibilities of habitats, cities, and landscapes across the globe.
Operation: We operate as an interdisciplinary lab of specialists advancing the practice of socio-ecological design. The group cultivates resilience through innovations in building, transportation, infrastructure, water, food, waste treatment, air quality, and energy.
Approach: Our collaborative process includes speculating how emerging technologies will impact future urban generations and local biodiversity. We focus on the intersections of ecological planning, biotech architecture, cognitive urban systems, and public art. As an organization, we strive to develop inclusive spaces and strategies that manifest environmental and social justice for all beings.
OUR TRANS-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH
HISTORY
The organization was co-founded in May 2006 by Mitchell Joachim, Maria Aiolova, and others in response to the need for urgent long-standing research on architectural biotechnology and sustainable cities. After entering a series of open design competitions, the organization began taking on several urban projects. They engaged local neighborhoods with design community members to broaden ground-up alternatives to overdevelopment and derelict municipal areas.
After completing his doctorate at MIT and working at a number of luminary architectural offices such as; I.M. Pei, Frank Gehry, Moshe Safdie, Mitchell founded the group with Maria, a fellow graduate from Harvard. Our unique name is a combination of the words: “terre” (earth, soil) and “reform” (rebuild, reconstruct, recreate). The original use of the term “terraform” in planetary engineering transformed the atmosphere to create a more habitable living environment. Instead of a contrived copy of the earth elsewhere, as the definition of “terraform” commonly implies, they strived to reform the land in place. The first intention was to repair the atmosphere of our world by fostering designs that regenerate the current pollution-causing global trends.
EDUCATION
Terreform ONE addresses the need for more integrated education in the study of biodiversity in the built environment. The ONE LAB educational program was created in 2009 to fill in the gap in the current pedagogical system and to train the next generation of sustainability and design leaders. Since its inception, the program has drawn over 200+ advanced scholars from around the world to explore the role of biodiversity and regenerative design in new forms of environmental urbanism.
FELLOWSHIP
The Terreform ONE Fellowship provides a research platform for emerging designers, architects, and engineers to explore novel ways of incorporating biodiversity into the built environment. Fellows have the opportunity to explore the complex environmental challenges affecting cities through research, science, design, and mentorship.
LECTURES
If you are interested in requesting a speaker for your event, please fill out the form below.
ONE LAB is a summer program for students, architects, scientists, artists, and individuals of all backgrounds to explore design with living matter. This program is designed for students who wish to engage with the crossover of design and science. The lab concentrates on recent advances in biotech and computation, both in theory and practice. ONE Lab Website →
ONE LAB
STAFF
EXECUTIVE BOARD
FRIENDS OF T1
2006-2024
Avantika Velho
Claudia D'auria
Mamoun Nukumanu Friedrich-Grosvenor
Grace Morenko
River Prud’Homme
Brook Boughton
Eli Stoken
Dora Hauache
Maria Abdelazim
Lucy Gagne
Landon Young
Grace Jung
Abigail Weinstein
Tashania Akemah
Tara Cotrim
Zander Leff
Akhil Kulkarni
Mauro Edel Rodriguez
Skylar Perez
Robin Stiefel
Lisa Wood Richardson
Ella Rocker
Elliot Zubkus
Adrian “Teddy” Kos
________________________
Nika Dzeban
Aarkin Menocha
Joe Berusch
Yitzhak Goldstein
Sonny Varela
Emilia Emcke
Honi Pein
Grace Jung
Claudia D'Auria
Avantika Velho
Brook Boughton
Michael Aiardo
Xunmin Chen
Kristina Goncharov
Sky Achitoff
Iyad Abou Gaida
Adam Cohen
Matthew Wilkes
Vivian Jiang
Connor Lambrecht
Zachary Aders
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Noura Al Sayeh
James Allen
Zafirah Bacchus
Sofie Bamberg
Kate Bancks
Linn Blasberg
Cory Budischak
Susanna Burrows
Ivy Chan
Courtney Chin
Subhajit Das
Natalie De Luca
Mila Ducheva
Bojana Djukanovic
Viagnehy Fernandez
Melanie Fessel
Contessa Gayles
Julianne Geary
Shima Ghafouri
Francisco Gill
Laura Goard
Nurhan Gokturk
Alpna Gupta
Jacqueline Hall
Shivina Harjani
Kent Hikida
Cecil Howell
Yu Ping Hsieh
Emily Johnson
Kelly Kim
Matt Kipilman
Niloufar Karimzadegan
Lukas Lenherr
Nathan Leverence
Andrew Liang
Aaron Lim
Florian Lorenz
Caleb Lowery
Bart Mangold
Dustin Mattiza
Lesley Merz
Andrea Michalski
William J. Mitchell
Greg Mulholland
John Nelson
Ian Newborn
Makoto Okazaki
Serdar Omer
Alan Paukman
Pianka Paul
Chema Perez
Thilani Rajarathna
Annie Raso
Nishan Ratinam
Alsira Raxhimi
Savina Romanos
Natalia Roumelioti
Daniel Russoniello
Lauren Sarafan
James Schwartz
Craig Schwitter
Allison Shockley
Ian Slover
Melody Song
Michael Sorkin
Stefan Stanojevic
Byron Stigge
Katherine Sullivan
Nacho Suque
Eric Tan
Kieran Thomas
Sishir Varghese
Emily VanderVeen
Andrei Vovk
Adam Watson
Philip Weller
Celina Yee
Derek Ziemer
COMPETITION JURORS
FOR ONE PRIZE
Diana Agrest
Matthias Böttger
Jean-Louis Cohen
John Hockenberry
Mitch McEwen
David Ruy
Mark Shepard
Michael Szivos
Jack Tchen
Billie Tsien
Adrian Welch
Karen Wong
Stan Allen
Christopher Beardsley
Louise Harpman
Christine Quinn
Carlo Aiello
Julie Bargmann
David Belt
Miquela Craytor
Dan D’Oca.
Evan Douglis
Jason Goodman
Robert Hammond
Andrew Kimball
Leslie Koch
Jonathan Marvel
William Moggridge
Mahadev Raman
Kate Ascher
Adrian Benepe
Amanda Burden
Wellington Chen
Michael Colgrove
James Corner
Helena Durst
David Gouverneur
Matthias Hollwich
Bjarke Ingels
Roland Lewis
Victoria Marshall
Roberta Weisbrod
Adrian Benepe
Carol Coletta
Margaret Crawford
Bruce Lindsey
DJ Spooky, AKA Paul D. Miller
William J. Mitchell
Annie Novak
Shaun Osher
Margie Ruddick
Ben Schwegler
Cameron Sinclair & Kate Stohr
Advisory Board
Marc Alt
Alison Chernick
Ryan Chin
Jerome Chou
Carol Coletta
Iain Couzin, PhD
Margaret Crawford, PhD
Dickson Despommier, PhD
Daniel D'Oca
Bill Dunster
Alexander Felson, PhD
Joseph Grima
Deb Johnson
Bruce Lindsey
Yanni A. Loukissas, PhD
Thomas E. Lovejoy
Geoff Manaugh
Victoria Marshall
Paul D. Miller a.k.a. DJ Spooky
James Patten, PhD
John Peterson, AIA
Mathan Ratinam
Frank Ruchala Jr.
Margie Ruddick
Michael S. Silver
Jason Vigneri-Beane
Joanna Underwood
Joanne Woodcock
Heather Woofter
Mimi Zeiger
Awards
PARTNERS AND SUPPORTERS
