Hortulanus presents a collection of four objects as an exploration into European indigenous technologies. By looking at resilience in design through nature-centred practices, the project highlights their potential as viable approaches for the future, grounded in their site-specificity. The project was initiated through Creative Industries Fund NL and supported with expertise from the European Center for Earth Building.

Taking its name from the Latin word ‘gardener’ or ‘related to a garden’, Hortulanus embraces maintenance, change, and decay as integral qualities of an object. The work draws on vernacular architectural techniques and transfers them to furniture. The resulting objects are crafted from familiar natural materials, which can be returned to the soil through natural composting processes. The structures are made from straw panels, a newly engineered material made of leftover agricultural straw. Stability is increased through clay plaster, an unfired raw material. Once rehydrated, it can be reshaped or returned to the ground. Details such as bound barley and wheat ears follow traditions associated with European harvest rituals.

Adopting a playful, near-future aesthetic, the objects challenge the visual language long associated with natural materials and ‘green’ vs. ‘high-tech’ design. In doing so, Hortulanus questions whether today’s technologically driven solutions can match the longevity, adaptability, and reliability of their nature-centred alternatives in all cases.