‘symbio’, a design solution which introduces technology to nature

istaeli student yarden mor brings nature and technology together through her ‘symbio’ project. mor aims at using existing natural foundations — like trees and rocks — to create environment-friendly urban design solutions while maintaining the comfort we are used to in modern life.

a small-scale model of a bench on a tree

mor’s symbio integrates an alternative to urban design, which — unlike today’s solutions — will not cause the destruction of natural infrastructure and waste of energy, materials, and resources. using 3D scanning technology, the designer builds a 3D model of the natural form, then creates a shape of the future product with a footprint of the form’s surface. 

the connection detail of the bench on a tree

‘nature will earn our protection and we will gain closeness to the green environment, natural shade, and all of nature’s advantages,’ comments mor. she used FDM (fused deposition modeling) technology to print the model in pieces and assemble them around the natural object and hopes that soon it will be possible to print without today’s limits, right on the object. symbio may be applied in domains such as architecture, outdoor and indoor product design, and more, offering a combined aesthetics of form and material that are derived from nature and led by function.

video by yarden mor

3D patterns exploration

illustration of application in urban planning

the footprint of the tree adapted to scan model

full-scale 3D printed part that is adapted to a eucalyptus trunk

workflow of the method

a cube adapted to a branch

original stone VS 3D scanned and 3D printed replica

digital model of a 3D scanned rock and additional steps

the original rock and additional steps which are adapted to certain areas on the rock and 3D printed

project info:

hebrew university – computer science

bezalel academy – industrial design

advisor: prof. chanan de-lange

illustrations assistant: nitsots saranga

large 3D prints: autodesk TLV

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.