alessio fava’s brutalist terrariums reveal what happens when nature reclaims space

in the mondobruto sculptural series, sealed glass terrariums turn into poetic battlegrounds between concrete and life.

Mondobruto edited by myrto katsikopoulou May 12, 2025 3 min

Mondobruto turns rigid architecture into a thriving ecosystem

On a moss-covered ledge of brutalism, Mondobruto takes root — a sculptural series by Italian designer Alessio Fava that turns sealed glass terrariums into poetic battlegrounds between concrete and life. Each piece in the ongoing collection explores what happens when nature is not an afterthought in architecture, but a protagonist reclaiming its space.

nature grows even on concrete mondobruto turns brutalism into living habitats 4 — in Mondobruto, glass terrariums turn into poetic battlegrounds between concrete and life

Alessio Fava captures tension between decay and growth

Handcrafted from polystyrene molds and cast in custom concrete blends, Fava’s miniature brutalist structures showcase striking geometric forms — raw, stark, and unapologetically architectural. But once sealed inside humid glass environments inspired by Japanese moss gardening, they begin to erode in meaning. Live mosses and tiny plants slowly colonize the rigid surfaces, climbing through crevices and spilling over sharp lines. What begins as a sculptural object becomes a living system — porous, unpredictable, and alive.

‘Nature doesn’t ask for permission,’ says Fava. ‘It grows. Even on concrete. Even inside cracks.’ With Mondobruto, he captures that unstoppable tension between decay and growth, permanence and entropy. In the project, each terrarium is a quiet rebellion — a reminder that even the most uncompromising structures will one day be softened by time, moss, and life.

nature grows even on concrete mondobruto turns brutalism into living habitats 2 — each piece explores what happens when nature reclaims architectural space

nature grows even on concrete mondobruto turns brutalism into living habitats 1 — the sculptures are handcrafted from polystyrene molds and cast in a custom concrete blend

alessio-fava-moss-covered-brutalist-sculptures-mondobruto-designboom-full-width-01 — live mosses and tiny plants slowly colonize the rigid surfaces

nature grows even on concrete mondobruto turns brutalism into living habitats 5 — what begins as a sculptural object becomes a living system

nature grows even on concrete mondobruto turns brutalism into living habitats 6 — ‘nature doesn’t ask for permission,’ says Fava

nature grows even on concrete mondobruto turns brutalism into living habitats 7 — each terrarium is conceived as a quiet rebellion

nature grows even on concrete mondobruto turns brutalism into living habitats 8
Fava uses Japanese techniques while moss planting

alessio-fava-moss-covered-brutalist-sculptures-space-mondobruto-designboom-full2 — even the most uncompromising structures will one day be softened by time, moss, and life

nature grows even on concrete mondobruto turns brutalism into living habitats 9

removing the polystyrene mold after a single-pour casting: the brutalist structure begins to emerge

nature grows even on concrete mondobruto turns brutalism into living habitats 11
post-casting refinement brings out the full brutalist character of the structure

nature grows even on concrete mondobruto turns brutalism into living habitats 12
here, a modular approach replaces the single-pour technique — the structure is built element by element

project info:

name: Mondobruto | @mondobruto
designer: Alessio Fava

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.