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- Live Demo: https://bio-tessera.xyz/
BIO-TESSERA is an AI-assisted management platform designed for the monitoring, maintenance, and long-term evolution of mycelium-based architectural structures. The system connects residents, facility managers, and architects through a shared digital interface that supports the observation, analysis, and repair of living building materials.
By integrating computer vision, environmental sensing, and collaborative design workflows, BIO-TESSERA enables the management of bio-based architecture as a dynamic material ecosystem rather than a static building envelope.
As architecture increasingly incorporates bio-based materials, new management tools are required to monitor their performance and transformation over time. Unlike conventional construction materials, mycelium composites continue to evolve after fabrication, responding to environmental conditions such as humidity, light exposure, and microbial activity.
BIO-TESSERA provides a digital platform for tracking these changes and coordinating maintenance strategies. The system allows users to observe surface conditions, detect structural risks, and generate repair or redesign proposals through AI-assisted analysis.
The platform functions not only as a monitoring dashboard but also as a collaborative infrastructure for the stewardship of living architecture.
- Real-time Monitoring: Live (AI-simulated) camera feeds display critical sectors of mycelium-based structures, allowing continuous observation of façade conditions and structural zones.
- AI Surface Analysis: Users can upload photographs of mycelium surfaces. The system analyzes the images to detect:
- cracking
- erosion
- browning
- biological perforation
- surface deformation
- Interactive Mapping: An AI-generated site map visualizes monitoring locations and highlights risk zones. This enables spatial tracking of façade conditions across an entire building or neighborhood.
- Collaborative Dialogue: BIO-TESSERA provides a communication interface where residents, maintenance teams, and architects can exchange information, report issues, and discuss design responses.
- Automated Design Proposals: AI-generated "Restore" vs. "Redesign" plans based on structural health evaluations.
- Material Lab: Tracks the growth cycles and health conditions of new mycelium batches prepared for repair and replacement.
- Alert Center: Centralized alert management for structural warnings and surface deterioration events, with severity classification and monitoring history.
- Frontend: React 18, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS
- Backend: Node.js, Express
- AI Engine: Google Gemini API (
@google/genai) - Icons: Lucide React
- Animations: Motion (Framer Motion)
- Build Tool: Vite
- Node.js (v18 or higher)
- A Google Gemini API Key
-
Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/your-username/bio-tessera.git cd bio-tessera -
Install dependencies:
npm install
-
Set up environment variables: Create a
.envfile in the root directory and add your Gemini API key:GEMINI_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
-
Start the development server:
npm run dev
-
Open the app: Navigate to
http://localhost:3000in your browser.
/src/pages: Individual application views (Dashboard, Mapping, Dialogue, etc.)/src/components: Reusable UI components./src/services: Gemini AI integration and API logic./src/stores: State management for camera feeds and map backgrounds./public/assets: Directory for custom architectural photos and site maps.
To use your own architectural photos instead of AI-generated ones:
- Place your images in
public/assets/. - Name them according to the agreed-upon logic (e.g.,
camera_p1_north_facade.jpg). - The system will automatically prioritize these local assets. (Vite copies
public/into the build output so assets are available when deploying to Vercel or other hosts.)
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
Developed for the future of living architecture.
The current version of Bio-Tessera is a conceptual prototype, developed as part of the author’s master’s level architectural design project Bio-Tessera. Project page: https://autumn2025.bartlettarchucl.com/ad-rc7-biospatial-tending/rc7-project-3-bio-tessera
This project explores a digital interactive interface for managing mycelium-based architectural components, and simulates the full-lifecycle monitoring, operation, and maintenance logic for mycelium modules in building facades.
The current system is a demo version, built primarily to present the core design concept and interface interaction logic. Some features are simulated rather than fully implemented, as detailed below:
- Partial data displayed within the system is simulated
- AI analysis results are demonstration-only sample outputs
- The camera / live feed interface is a placeholder and has not been connected to real hardware devices
This repository is primarily positioned as a proof-of-concept and interactive prototype demonstration.
Planned optimizations for the project include:
- Integration of the pre-trained AI model for mycelium crack detection
- Establishment of a complete pipeline for image capture and automated analysis
- Phased integration of real environmental sensing and monitoring data
The long-term goal of the project is to evolve Bio-Tessera into a full-lifecycle digital management platform for mycelium-based architectural components.
The author of this project comes from an architectural background, and is not a professional software engineer. The realization of this working prototype is made possible by recent advancements in AI coding tools, which enable research ideas from the architectural field to be rapidly translated into an interactive, functional prototype.
The project will be continuously iterated and optimized as circumstances permit.