Phyto Symbiotic Seat, designed at Royal College of Art, is an experimental seating concept that rethinks the relationship between furniture, vegetation and the built environment. Recognised by the NY Product Design Awards, the project combines a structural seating system with integrated planting, creating a piece that functions both as public furniture and as a living ecosystem.

A Seat Designed for Coexistence

The design features a bench constructed from a modular concrete framework combined with timber seating elements. The most distinctive aspect is its porous, lattice-like structure, which accommodates growing plants throughout the object. Rather than treating greenery as an applied decorative element, the project incorporates vegetation directly into the furniture, allowing plants and structure to develop together over time.

This approach reflects a broader shift towards biophilic design, where natural systems are integrated into products and built environments to improve wellbeing and strengthen connections between people and nature. By embedding planting within the furniture itself, the seat creates opportunities for biodiversity while offering a more engaging user experience.

Material Innovation and Circular Thinking

A key feature of the project is its highly textured, cellular framework, which appears to be designed as a modular system that can support both structural performance and plant growth. The open geometry provides space for roots, soil and water retention while reducing the amount of material required compared with solid construction methods.

The combination of modular components and natural growth processes suggests a design strategy centred on adaptability and longevity. As plants mature, the appearance of the bench evolves, creating a dynamic product that changes with its environment rather than remaining static throughout its life cycle. Integrating vegetation directly into furniture can help support urban biodiversity, improve microclimates and contribute to more regenerative public spaces.

Rethinking Urban Furniture

Projects such as Phyto Symbiotic Seat demonstrate how furniture can move beyond a purely functional role to become part of a wider ecological system. By combining seating, planting and material efficiency in a single design, the concept explores new possibilities for living products that actively contribute to their surroundings.

As cities continue to search for solutions that support sustainability and wellbeing, hybrid designs that merge biological and manufactured systems are likely to play an increasingly important role in future public environments.

Source & photos: Jiyou Zhang / NY Product Design Awards