Drinking water, food, and energy sources are essential for human life—whether you live in Shanghai, New York, or Brno. However, their availability cannot be taken for granted, especially in densely populated urban agglomerations, which also face other problems such as a shortage of housing, green spaces, and quality infrastructure. A team of architects and researchers from the Start-up BUT BIOM Research Project decided to address these challenges. They came up with the idea of a self-sufficient system that would be able to provide basic resources using a single physical device with several integrated technologies. The vision, which originally emerged as a solution for future megacities, is now moving into the phase of testing a functional prototype and collecting real data.

"When I present our start-up, I often compare our solution to what Apple came up with. In 2007, Steve Jobs combined a phone, computer, and camera into one device. Similarly, the BIOM Research Project integrates three basic functions into a single module – the production of drinking water from air humidity, the production of renewable electricity, and agricultural food production," explained David Průša, CEO of the start-up.

The idea for BIOM originated as Roman Bolcek's thesis at the Faculty of Architecture at Brno University of Technology. In 2023, together with structural mechanics expert Petr Frantík and structural engineer Zdeněk Vejpustecký, he developed the topic into a book entitled BIOM, conceived as basic research. The publication analyzes the current global situation and warns that humanity is approaching the limits of environmental sustainability and prosperity. The authors therefore present an architectural vision of the future based on modern technologies, innovative materials, and a holistic approach to urbanism. The results include designs for vertical structures up to 800 meters high, integrating cutting-edge technologies from the fields of modern agriculture, drinking water extraction, and renewable energy sources.

Without follow-up applied research, however, BIOM would remain just a vision. "The main, albeit distant, goal is to create a 260-meter-high structure resembling three open leaves on tall stems. We have calculated how this giant object works, how much water, food, and electricity it will produce, how much CO₂ it will capture, and how much agricultural land it will save. However, in order to be able to say responsibly that, for example, Shanghai needs a BIOM with specific parameters, we must back up these claims with real data. And we cannot obtain this without a functional prototype," added David Průša.

The project is now entering the functional prototype preparation phase. "After seven years of research and more than a year of putting together business plans, we are starting to build the prototype. We will now transfer all the data and know-how we have acquired so far into a real device. It will be a small structure the size of a shipping container, which will already contain all the key functionalities. We will place it on the premises of BVV Livinglab living laboratory at the Brno Exhibition Center. We plan to complete the prototype by the end of February 2026. The construction itself will be the easier part – the installation and commissioning of all subsystems will be significantly more demanding," Průša described. According to him, the data obtained should be a key step on the way to the international market and investors. "I say that BIOM is a kind of 'holy grail' – a device that can continuously generate water, food, and electricity and can partially or completely sustain a city. But the real essence lies in the data that we are now starting to collect and that can prove to investors that BIOM really works," he added.

The team expects that the functional prototype and the data obtained from it will help the start-up move from the "pre-seed" to the "seed" phase, i.e., from an idea to a specific product for the first investors and customers. "In the 'pre-seed' phase, we tried to raise investment to build a prototype, but in the end we decided to finance it from our own resources. This gives us greater freedom," concluded David Průša.

(kub)