178 Robotically 3D-Printed Earth Bricks Create Habitat Around Olive Tree at Design Museum Holon

Key facts

• BUSTAN is a full-scale earthen pavilion built from 178 robotically 3D-printed earth bricks.
• It is organized around a living olive tree, treated as the pavilion's primary client.
• The project was developed by the Material Topology Research Lab (MTRL) at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and the Weizmann Tree Lab.
• It is part of The Circle exhibition at Design Museum Holon, Israel, running from September 2026 to March 2027.
• The bricks are made mainly from locally sourced soil mixed with bio-based plant fibers and mineral binders.
• Each brick is digitally designed and robotically printed with a specific geometry and surface texture for ecological functions like shade, thermal mass, airflow, moisture, or habitat.
• The pavilion creates a microclimate around the tree's canopy and root zone, with passive stack ventilation and moisture retention through capillary action.
• The design draws on ancient agricultural practices from the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, translated through computational design and robotic fabrication.
• Fabrication took place at the Technion Advanced Construction Center (TACC).
• The project was supported by the Technion Sustainability Frontier, the Azrieli Foundation, the European Innovation Council (EIC), and Design Museum Holon.