This corn-based construction material was made by Manufactura, a Mexican sustainable materials company, and it imagines a second life for waste from the most widely produced grain in the world. The project started as an invitation by chef Jorge Armando, the founder of catering brand Taco Kween Berlin, to find ways he could reintegrate waste generated by his taqueria into architecture. A team led by designer Dinorah Schulte created corncretl during a residency last year in Massa Lombarda, Italy.
"You can build with natural stone in a way that saves about 90% of the carbon emissions compared to if you are building with steel or reinforced concrete. "Construction is a huge emitter of carbon and the government wants to build lots of homes so we need to find ways that don't damage the planet so much. "This is one solution that we are testing."