dutch architects plant trees into huge 3D printed sample tubes

tree pots in the form of scaled-up erlenmeyer flasks – the cone-shaped test tube present in every laboratory – are placed at the food innovation strip ede-wageningen. the shape refers to the innovative character of the companies and knowledge institutions in the area. the pots were designed by felixx landscape architects & planners, and made by 3d printing in rotterdam.

the food innovation strip covers a distance of 11 km and forms the connection between wageningen university & research with the business and science park wageningen, the knowledge campus ede and the future world food center in ede. the axis becomes a linear arboretum with distinctive trees. some of those trees will be placed in large erlenmeyer flasks of 2.6 meters high.

the shape, materialization and the manufacturing process of the pot give space and meaning to the innovative character of the area. last year prototypes of the pots were 3d-printed and assembled in rotterdam, and wageningen UR is researching on which bio-based materials are suitable and applicable. as part of this manufacturing process, it is now being tested which tree species thrive best in the pots and how the prototypes behave in outdoor areas.

15 pots are placed at tree nursery ebben in cuijk, with three copies of five different tree species — one of the trees gets a pot and two trees are used for reference and are in the ground. this way it can be tested what the effect of the pot on the growth conditions of the tree is and which tree species thrive best. the test phase is part of the implementation of the public space handbook for the food innovation strip ede-wageningen. felixx developed this manual last year on behalf of the municipality of ede and the municipality of wageningen, in close collaboration with the province of gelderland and wageningen UR. 

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.

edited by: maria erman | designboom