Regenerative Furniture Systems

Contemporary design studio smarin was responsible for Piazza — a large-scale installation for the European Commission's Berlaymont headquarters in Brussels, which functions as a regenerative furniture system. Constructed primarily from hemp and lime, this project relies on bio-sourced materials (also referred to as "vegetal concrete") with a neutral or negative carbon footprint.

smarin's regenerative furniture system formed a modular and sculptural landscape. This made for adaptable indoor public spaces that could be reconfigured for seating, gathering, or resting. The design studio also incorporated plant elements to form passive cooling islands that further improve the environmental quality of the architecture.

smarin's Piazza installation is in alignment with "the New European Bauhaus programme, which aims to foster new ways of living and shaping space that are sustainable, aesthetic, and inclusive." All in all, the use of a compostable, breathable material like hemp concrete demonstrates that large-scale installations can be both durable and ecologically virtuous.

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