Sprout is a germinating seed of future architecture to catalyze first human outposts and settlements in space applying sustainable materials and building methods. This light and compact folded piece of bacteria fabricated architectural textile – KOMBUTEX is an innovative solution for the climate of the future.

Origami is usually associated with the traditional art of paper folding from Japan. In recent years, however, this fascinating technique has been rediscovered and applied in unexpected ways. Research institutes, including NASA, are currently working on breakthrough innovations that use origami to create deployable structures for space travel. By folding and unfolding, the origami structures are extremely efficient at changing their shape and dimensions. Healthy environments are flexible and dynamic like natural systems. Our adaptive textiles accommodate and regulate changing needs on spatial circulation and efficient energy usage. Embedded origami patterns afford natural movement characteristics, growth and metamorphosis.

Imagine… healthy interiors as living ecosystems, where materials are alive, regenerative, and are interacting with their environment…

KOMBUTEX is a dormant bacterial culture integrating moss that has the power to grow and evolve our future interiors to become living, regenerative and interactive spaces. In the long term, KOMBUTEX is a catalyst for sustainable and biodiverse indoor ecosystems.

This project is a collaboration between Studio Samira Boon and the HybridFormsLab of Raoul Frese / Biophysics of Photosynthesis VU Amsterdam. The project is supported by the Architecture Grant Scheme of the Creative Industries Fund NL.

By shaping this living textile through the use of origami folding techniques, our sprout was created as we believe sustainable and living origami structures can provide unique benefits to human habitats on and off Earth.