Living Layers is a vertical micro-ecosystem designed to support local food production while hosting biodiversity in urban environments. The project combines ecology, computation, and material research to imagine a different approach to urban farming—one that works with natural processes rather than relying on high-tech controlled systems.

The installation is composed of stacked porous volumes made from clay or concrete and fabricated through additive manufacturing. Their material properties allow them to absorb, store, and distribute water passively through gravity and capillarity, reducing the need for energy-intensive irrigation.

Its geometry is generated through an algorithm informed by biological data. Plants and other ecological actors are treated as active agents, with their spatial needs, sunlight exposure, water requirements, and seasonal cycles translated into design parameters. The resulting surfaces are designed to host not only edible plants, but also mosses, fungi, pollinators, and microorganisms.

Living Layers is a project designed and developed by László Cseresznyés and BY THE END OF MAY, in collaboration with Upfarming, and prototyped by SIR3D / Sirolis.

László Cseresznyés is an architect, computational designer, and researcher working across design, science, and low-tech construction, with a focus on interspecies intelligence, natural systems, and alternative building methods.