worm skyscraper by yong ju lee proposes a solution to polystyrene waste

‘worm skyscraper’ by yong ju lee architecture is a project that explores an environmentally-friendly solution to plastic pollution. expanded polystyrene, also known under the brand name ‘styrofoam’, is not biodegradable. meaning that a single-use polystyrene coffee cup could stick around forever, and as a result, cause immense harm to the environment. however, what if this synthetic material could be broken down by the humble mealworm?

a skyscraper designed by live mealworms

images courtesy of yong ju lee architecture

mealworm is the larval form of the mealworm beetle, tenebrio molitor, and they’re used as a high-protein food source for pets such as reptiles and birds. in 2015, stanford university researchers discovered that the tiny worms can safely eat and digest polystyrene. in light of this study, yong ju lee architecture has fed styrofoam plates to mealworms and used the leftover parts to create the building blocks of ‘worm skyscraper’.

mealworms eating the polystyrene

the team recorded a video of the mealworms eating styrofoam for a whole day to showcase this possible solution to the mounting environmental concern that is plastic pollution. incredibly, the manmade material can be returned to nature through this tiny creature’s gut. 

mealworms digesting the polystyrene

video by juhyun maeng

the leftover pieces become building blocks

a mealworm climbing the skyscraper

a crawling mealworm

project info:

name: worm skyscraper

design: yong ju lee architecture

video: juhyun maeng

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: lynne myers | designboom