The Roman University collaborated on the creation of the City of Plants installation, designed by the MAD studio, providing its scientific contribution with the development of intelligent sensors for plants.
The data acquired by the sensors, transformed into music and light, encourage interaction with the person, creating an immersive environment for visitors to the exhibition. But not only that: they tell us many things about the world of plants
Rome, 11 September 2025 - Natural and Artificial. Biosensors on plants and projects for advanced and innovative technological installations. Scientific research and cutting-edge architecture. Apparent dichotomies that merge in the “City of Plants” installation. A true experiment in “collective intelligence” created by a multidisciplinary team, led by the MAD studio, which featured 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia 2025 - for the first time - theCampus Bio-Medico University of Rome (UCBM).
The aim of the installation is to engage visitors to the Exhibition by inviting them to examine the evolving relationship between architecture, nature, technology and energy, and to explore how architectural thinking can create new urban spaces and respond to the needs of the environment.
The installation is composed of three interconnected systems: an ecological landscape enclosed in three bubble-shaped display cases; a generative sound and light system responsive to human interaction; and a multisensory platform based on fiber optic sensors for environmental monitoring.
And it is on this last system that the direct intervention of theUCBM. "Plants send messages that can be encoded and interpreted through biosensors placed inside the enclosures near the plants.”, he clarifies Daniela Lo Presti, project coordinator and researcher UCBM at the Research Unit of Measurements and Biomedical Instrumentation of the Departmental Faculty of Engineering.We accepted the invitation of the MAD architecture studio, which asked us to give plants an active role and have them interact with visitors. We designed and manufactured custom-made, lightweight, and transparent sensors at our university." Lo Presti specifies. Each element is designed with respect for the environment, in a logic of sustainability and coexistence. "Our sensors do not interfere with plant growth or the equilibrium achieved within the enclosures. They do not directly affect living organisms, but, installed inside three small capsules, they detect environmental information related to the health of the plants. Specifically, each enclosure houses two sensors encapsulated within a flexible bioinspired matrix: one sensor detects changes in humidity and the other monitors temperature variations. The collected environmental data is transformed into sounds and lights, generating a constantly evolving immersive environment.".
Other sensors, meanwhile, detect vibrations generated by the movements of gravel placed inside the display cases in areas accessible to visitors' touch. Interaction with the installation's white pebbles generates sounds that harmonize with those generated by the plants, creating a sensory landscape that reflects the presence and behavior of both humans and nature. But behind the immersive experience offered to visitors to the exhibition lies leading-edge scientific research provided by UCBM.
"This is a project born spontaneously from the creative ideas and enthusiasm of our researchers, who have been able to team up inside and outside our university." explains the professor Eugenio Guglielmelli, Rector ofUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma. "This is emblematic of the context and values of our University, which has always promoted an open, inclusive, and interdisciplinary approach to education and research. We are convinced that our task is not only to generate new creative ideas, but also to quickly translate and leverage research findings into concrete and sustainable solutions. We act as a conduit for diverse organizations that can make significant contributions to our projects, with the shared goal of improving people's lives and protecting our planet: Sustainable OneHealth.".
Researchers from various departments contributed to the project. UCBM: Ilaria Condò, PhD student in Bioengineering, Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems at the Biomedical Measurements and Instrumentation Research Unit, who supervised the design and manufacturing of the sensors; Sara Maria Giannitelli, researcher at the Advanced Technologies for Innovative Materials and Organ Models Research Unit, who worked on the development of polymeric materials to encapsulate and functionalize the sensors used in the Biennale; Sara Cimini, researcher at the Food Science and Nutrition Research Unit, who supported them in the preliminary testing phase on the plant. Alongside them is theENEA which has been supporting the Biomedical Measurement and Instrumentation Research Unit for years UCBM in the creation of fiber optic sensor systems, from wiring to management and transfer of acquired data.
"Without the teamwork and multidisciplinary approach that characterizes our University, none of this would have been possible. Participating in this event represents a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration, in a highly prestigious international context and outside of our comfort zone, which we wanted to explore.” says Prof. Emiliano Schena, President of the Undergraduate Course in Biomedical Engineering UCBM.
"At the Biennale, we brought our extensive experience in the development of fiber optic sensors, which we routinely use in our wearable systems and, more generally, in the measurement systems we develop. These tools allow us to collect valuable and accurate information on the health of the human body and help us monitor, even remotely, specific clinical conditions, such as the effect of certain therapies. But plants are also living beings, and the information they capture through sensors allows us to obtain useful information related to the plant's growth and the surrounding environment.".
Pesticide use, drought, or overwatering are just a few examples of stressors that severely challenge plant health. If monitored through sensors and managed appropriately, they can significantly improve agriculture and the sustainability of human interventions in the landscape.
The installation can be visited until November 23rd at the Arsenale Artiglierie. In addition to the support of theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, I study MAD also made use of the contribution of Bruno Zamborlin, Park Nouveau, ENEA, Logli Saint-Gobain, Crespi, Michele Todini, FLUX CS.
