The material has a solid yet porous structure. You can water a plant less frequently since water is slowly diffused through it and stored by the cells, giving the plant time to drink.

A VISION. The main goal was to provide plants a new place to live. It has to be straightforward, spotless, low-maintenance, and hydroponic, not using any soil or dirt. The secret was fusing the notions of hydroponics with porous material. In order to allow water to diffuse through the material and support plant growth on its surface, we developed a proprietary ceramic material with the ideal porosity and hygroscopic properties.

PLANT-CENTERED DESIGN. We wanted to create a piece that was both aesthetically pleasing and functional—it needed to be a suitable place for plants to live. In order to suit the needs of the plants, we had to create a complex shape for the surface of the planter body. It required:

While seeds sprout, keep them on the surface.

Maintain water for plant roots to consume.

Give the surface a shape and texture that would encourage plant roots to cling to it.

We constructed numerous prototypes to test with seeds and plants using parametric design to create the shape we had in mind. Following testing, we sought to enhance the product and improved the algorithm and design to reach.

WHAT IT DOES. A container that serves as a water bank is the planter. The water is contained in the container and progressively diffuses through the material to the surface-level cells where the plant can drink it.