The "Dirty Lab" pavilion is the launch of Aléa’s long-term, transdisciplinary applied research project for bio-inclusive practices in partnership with Domaine de Boisbuchet: The Garden Lab, an open-air laboratory for immersive experimentation and the development of reimagined processes with living systems.

This summer, Aléa collaborated with architecture firm Park Associati for a workshop at Domaine de Boisbuchet. The workshop explored mycelia's potential as a material binder and connector, focusing on ephemeral applications for myco-materials. Together with participants, they built the "Dirty lab" pavilion, which embraces the lifecycle of mycelium and reimagines design and architecture as modular, temporary outdoor labs and exhibition spaces.

Led by Aléa founders Stella Lee Prowse and Miriam Josi, the workshop took the laboratory outdoors, reimagining the tools, processes, and spaces used to collaborate with living systems. On the first day, attendees constructed their own movable labs using toolkits provided by Park Associati, assembling pre-grown panels. These labs were then individually reinterpreted for immersive observation and experimentation. Participants also had the opportunity to apply Aléa’s unique myco-fabrication process, "Back to Dirt," by growing objects directly in the ground using mycelium and local substrates. This method bypasses the need for sterilization and plastic molds, while exploring the regenerative potential of mycelia.

The individual lab modules were eventually combined to create a collective space for presenting research and fostering collaboration with one another and the soil—resulting in an inverted observatory that directs our gaze inward and downward, into the ground. This untreated pavilion, an experiment containing experiments, has an open-ended afterlife. It will be exposed to the elements, evolving over the coming months before ultimately being composted on site.

The materials were sponsored by Mogu and La Mycosphere.

Participants: Claudia Guirado, Sharon Saji, chengcheng sheng, Lena Ghaninejad, clément lameley, Sonya Evgrafova, Tenzin Hoflack, Miche Harris, Jane Poelman, Julian, Matthews, India, Aranguren, Julian, Siegelman, Andres Wanner, Camilla Vertua, Rania Addalla, SeungBum Ma