Conifera for COS: A 3D-Printed Bioplastic Canopy

Exterior design · Distributed 3D printing · Milan · 2019

Created for COS at Milan Design Week, Conifera connected the courtyard and garden of Palazzo Isimbardi through a landscape of 700 interlocking 3D-printed bio-bricks. The installation brings together computational design, renewable materials and a distributed fabrication network.

A collaborative fabrication network

Mamou-Mani designed the geometry parametrically, adapting the canopy to the palazzo’s architectural details. Fab.Pub printed part of the installation in London, working alongside local fabrication partners in Milan, Venice and Macerata who manufactured additional modules from shared digital design data. This distributed approach demonstrated how a single architectural system can be fabricated across multiple workshops.

Each interlocking unit was 3D-printed from a blend of wood fibre and sugar-based bioplastic. Differences in form, density and translucency created a gradual transition from the courtyard to the garden, allowing light to filter through the installation.

Building with materials that have another life

The project tested large-scale printing with renewable and compostable ingredients, alongside modular connections that make assembly and disassembly straightforward. Conifera remains a clear example of how Fab.Pub links material experimentation to architectural-scale production.

Credits

Client: COS
Design: Mamou-Mani Architects
London fabrication: Fab.Pub
Production partners: Superforma Milan, FabLab Venice, Design for Craft Macerata and WASP
Structural engineering: Format Engineers

Read the full Mamou-Mani project and gallery, or speak to Fab.Pub about a large-scale project.