We the Bacteria Colomina & Wigley

Perhaps bacteria are not enemies, but the true creators of architecture. This book, a follow-up to "Are We Human?" by world-renowned architectural historians and theorists Beatriz Colomina and Mark Wigley, is a provocative manifesto that fundamentally overturns conventional wisdom about architecture.

The authors view bacteria as the "designers," "builders," "maintainers," and "inhabitants" of buildings. Based on the latest microbiological research, they unravel the relationship between architecture, humans, and microorganisms over 10,000 years of history. Modern architecture has long developed on the premise of "eliminating bacteria," but the authors point out that this very idea has given rise to serious problems such as today's environmental issues, the increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and the loss of microbial diversity.

This book proposes architecture for "symbiosis" rather than "exclusion." By restoring the relationship with soil, plants, and invisible microorganisms, and shifting our perspective to architecture that embraces life, it redefines the very act of "dwelling."

Crossing the fields of architecture, design, environment, and life sciences, this book sharply reexamines the nature of space in the post-pandemic era. It is an important book that offers many insights for considering the future of architecture and cities, as well as the coexistence of humans and nature.