Rice-Centric Outdoor Installations

Italian design studio Carlo Ratti Associati works together with Italo Rota to create the SunRice installation using a sort of artificial stone made using waste rice husks. It creates the modular design located in the Breara Botanical Garden for Milan Design Week. The path allows visitors to explore the various uses of rice, which creates an experimental journey to show how rice transforms from a plant into a common ingredient.

Ratti explains, "Rice is the most widely consumed food in the world. And this is precisely why it has such an extensive and profound cultural significance, opening up so many uses and as-yet unexplored avenues for experimentation. As we explore alternative ways to feed the planet's growing population so, too, must we research the ways we can use these materials for sustainable construction."

Image Credit: Carlo Ratti Associati, Italo Rota