Micro-Mountains

Micro-Mountains is a participatory seating landscape that transforms public space into a shared ecological platform. Designed as a 2.0 × 2.0 metre installation at seating height, the project reimagines urban furniture as living infrastructure—an architectural surface that residents actively cultivate over time.

Constructed from CNC-cut plywood ribs and plates, the structure interlocks without screws, glue, or additional hardware. The system is fully reversible and assembled through friction-fit joints, allowing it to be transported, installed, and disassembled with minimal impact. Its topography forms a low, inhabitable “mountain” contour that invites sitting, gathering, and interaction.

Embedded within the surface is a grid of Ø100 mm planting pots. Residents can select seeds, plant directly into the system, and return regularly to water and care for their contribution. Over time, the installation evolves through collective maintenance—shifting from an empty frame, to seeded terrain, to a shared micro-garden.

Micro-Mountains positions architecture not as static object, but as civic process. It operates simultaneously as seating, ecological device, and social catalyst—encouraging stewardship, biodiversity, and everyday participation in urban life.

Developed through research-by-design at the Infra-Architecture Lab, the project explores how digitally fabricated timber systems can enable small-scale, reversible interventions that produce ecological and social value in dense urban environments.