In Israel, a group of designers have created an exhibit showcasing structures made by 3D-printing soil and seeds.
Dubbed “To Grow a Building” and presented at Jerusalem Design Week 2022, the budding buildings are made by a custom robotic arm. As the roots set the walls, the seeds sprout on the outside to create an attractive façade.
According to designboom, the team behind the installation consists of designers Elisheva Gillis, Gitit Linker, Danny Freedman, Noa Zermati, Adi Segal, Rebeca Partook and Nof Nathansohn. “With the use of industrial and non-local resources only increasing, ‘To Grow a Building’ proposes architecture that uses raw, natural materials such as local soil and roots as structural elements to replace unsustainable buildings made of concrete and steel,” the publication notes. “The project presents a new approach of integrating flora into the architectural design process, by developing a novel material for 3D printing through which seeding is an inseparable part of the fabrication process.”