Most architecture and urban spaces are composed of horizontal and vertical elements. However, the shapes found in nature are organic, and living beings interact with such environments using their bodily senses to survive. This project began with a question: If we were to rediscover a new form of rationality for constructing architecture today, what kind of shapes would emerge?
With the advent of robotic technologies like 3D printers, where form is generated additively and complexity is no longer a cost issue but a matter of time, we envisioned a new kind of nest for contemporary humans—shaped solely from materials gathered from the immediate surroundings. This, we believe, could represent a new form of vernacular architecture.
This structure serves as one of the rest facilities built for Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. As part of the project, 20 rest facilities—including toilets, rest areas, satellite studios, and pop-up stages—were each designed by a young Japanese architect selected nationwide.
We used a construction 3D printer from WASP capable of extruding earth to design a canyon-like architectural and landscape installation. The primary material was soil—a primitive and locally available substance. Though heavy, fragile, and far removed from modern industrial materials, soil has the advantage of being able to return to the ground. By using it as a new construction material, we aimed to propose a vision for future architecture and society—one where people build their own nests using soil from their local land.
The printed material was composed of soil, clay, hardening agents, straw, pigments, and seaweed glue—selected with inspiration from Japan’s traditional earthen wall construction methods. These components were chosen not only for their strength and printability, but also for being entirely locally sourced within Japan, and biodegradable after the expo concludes. The hardening agent, magnesium oxide, reacts with water and soil to set; once printed, the elements were cured in a humid environment for three days, then dried to achieve sufficient strength.
The printed forms are based on the organic curves found in nature. We 3D-scanned and sampled stone shapes collected from various regions across Japan and fused these into composite geometries. Additionally, through physical testing, we derived the structural logic necessary for soil to stand independently, and performed form optimization under the constraints of overhang tolerances to determine the final shape.
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