ABOUT

Based in MILAN, Mondobruto is a project that investigates the relationship between humanity, architecture, and the environment through handcrafted concrete structures inspired by brutalist design. Housed within terrariums, these pieces transform inert spaces into vibrant ecosystems by integrating plants and mosses.

Like in abandoned buildings where nature slowly reclaims space, Mondobruto recreates this process on a miniature scale, within a controlled microcosm. The concrete—rigid and inorganic—becomes the foundation for a transformation in which vegetation gradually takes over, reshaping its aesthetic and meaning.

Rather than a static object, each work is a living system in constant evolution, activated through its relationship with the viewer. Mondobruto offers a reflection on the lifecycle of architecture and the regenerative power of nature, inviting a broader dialogue on sustainability, memory of space, and the delicate balance between construction and decay.

In a time when the coexistence between nature and concrete is more vital than ever, Mondobruto proposes a new narrative of beauty, tension, and harmony.

The habitats of Mondobruto are handcrafted using custom molds to replicate brutalist architectural details. The main material is concrete, processed to achieve textures and imperfections that evoke the wear of time. Each piece is then placed in a terrarium with natural substrates, mosses, and carefully selected plants to create an evolving ecosystem. 

The habitats are also created using Japanese planting materials and cultivation techniques, allowing for an optimal balance between plant growth and architectural composition.
Brutalism enhances the contrast between concrete and nature: an imposing and seemingly immutable presence that, over time, is slowly reclaimed by natural elements, redefining the boundary between construction and decay.

Over time, vegetation reclaims the structure—colonizing it, transforming it, bending it to its own needs. This process, which in urban environments takes decades, is observed here in an accelerated microcosm, where nature finds its way through cracks, creeping into rigid surfaces, proving that the balance between matter and life is never static, but always evolving.

At a time when design is increasingly embracing biophilic principles, urban regeneration, and the concept of rewilding, Mondobruto becomes part of a broader conversation: what happens when the built environment is abandoned? Does nature destroy it—or transform it?

Mondobruto thus becomes a visual and conceptual experience that invites us to rethink our relationship with artificial spaces, allowing nature to tell its side of the story.