Lets Fly Biofactory by gru.a

The Lets Fly Biofactory, designed by gru.a, represents a pioneering architectural approach to sustainable food production through the cultivation of black soldier flies (BSF). As an emerging industry with a focus on protein derived from insects, the facility required an architectural strategy that balances functional precision, adaptability, and environmental responsibility. The project responds to the challenge of industrial innovation with a dual-construction system that separates structural support from enclosure, allowing maximum flexibility while maintaining clarity in spatial organization and operational efficiency.

Elevated Modular Platform

At the core of the design is a 400 m² elevated platform, which serves as the primary structural framework for the production area. This platform is modular, organized into 4×6 meter units, supporting a large, gently sloping roof angled at 23° toward the north. This orientation is optimized for solar energy collection, reflecting the project’s commitment to renewable energy and sustainability. By elevating the production floor, the architects created double-height spaces, enabling the installation of tiered shelving for insect cultivation and allowing for efficient workflow circulation. The elevated platform also introduces a visual clarity and structural legibility that aids maintenance and operational logistics, establishing a strong spatial hierarchy that distinguishes production zones while maintaining openness and accessibility.

Flexible Enclosure System

Complementing the elevated platform, the second construction system consists of external and internal enclosures crafted from concrete blocks and self-supporting precast slabs. This system is designed for adaptability, allowing each production area to be customized and modified over time to accommodate changes in process requirements or scaling operations. The use of precast slabs accelerates construction, ensures durability, and simplifies future modifications, while the concrete blocks provide thermal mass, structural stability, and ease of maintenance. This dual-system approach separates structural integrity from functional adaptability, reflecting a thoughtful response to the uncertain and evolving needs of a new industrial sector.

Environmental and Operational Integration

The architectural design prioritizes environmental performance and operational efficiency. The elevated roof doubles as a solar collector, while its orientation maximizes natural daylight, reducing reliance on artificial lighting. The clear and open modular framework facilitates airflow and spatial clarity, ensuring hygienic, safe, and productive conditions for the BSF cultivation process. Every component, from the modular platform to the enclosure system, is conceived to support the industrial process without compromising environmental responsibility, reflecting a holistic approach to sustainable industrial design.

Flexibility as Design Ethos

Flexibility remains central to the biofactory’s architectural philosophy. The modular platform allows rapid reconfiguration, and the enclosure system can accommodate multiple production scenarios. Structural and functional separation creates a resilient environment capable of adapting to evolving technologies, market demands, and process experimentation. The design also provides logical circulation paths, enabling staff to move efficiently between work zones while maintaining clear sightlines and operational oversight.

Architectural Expression

While function drives the design, the architecture achieves a subtle visual coherence and elegance. The exposed modular framework and sloping roof form a clean, minimal aesthetic that communicates precision, efficiency, and innovation. The combination of concrete and steel establishes a dialogue between permanence and adaptability, reinforcing the facility’s role as a prototype for future industrial architecture.

A Prototype for the Future

The Lets Fly Biofactory demonstrates how architecture can play an active role in shaping emerging industries. By integrating modular structural systems, flexible enclosures, and renewable energy strategies, the project serves as a model for adaptive, sustainable, and resilient industrial facilities. It transcends traditional industrial design by merging efficiency with innovation, establishing a precedent for architecture that supports new technologies, sustainability, and future-forward food production. This biofactory embodies the potential for architecture to not only house production but to enhance it—offering a blueprint for the next generation of experimental, environmentally responsible industrial spaces.

Photography: Federico Cairoli