In New York, architecture and design firm Creme is designing cups and flasks using gourds that are grown inside 3D-printed molds.
“The inspiration actually came from how the Japanese grow their watermelons,” Tania Kaufmann, the company’s business manager, tells UK’s Telegraph. “They are grown in molds into a square shape so they are easily transported and stackable, so we thought we might be able to grow gourds similarly using molds in the shape of cups and flasks.”
Still in the design phase, Creme began making the cups in their Brooklyn studio, but has since moved the operation to a farm outside the city. The company picked gourds because they are fast-growing with a strong outer skin. Each “cup” takes about 6 weeks to grow.