GIARDINO METABOLICO

Year: 2025
Location: Milan

Typology: Public Service

Client: Internal Research

Metabolic Garden is a project by Scandurra Backstage for Perfect Toilets, an initiative involving international architects and designers in the exploration of new ideas for urban ecology. The concept envisions a floating pavilion in Milan’s Darsena that combines a public restroom with a water phytodepuration system.

The architecture is a modular platform composed of four cylindrical units: restroom facilities with transparent tanks, a separation basin, a phytodepuration system, and a hydroponic nursery fed by purified water. Solid waste is redirected to agriculture, while the water—drawn from and returned to the Darsena—closes the cycle between urban metabolism and natural resources.

Conceived as a replicable device, the Metabolic Garden can be adapted to parks and public spaces, making the hidden cycles of water and waste visible and turning them into opportunities for awareness and social interaction.

Scandurra Backstage, the research and development department of Scandurra Studio, explores innovative design models for urban and domestic spaces, focusing on three areas: design methodologies, systems and materials, and social models of contemporary living.