Being back in the Maldives has brought some exciting updates from our 80m Growing Islands structure. Since its construction earlier this year, our installation (made up of (6) 20m x 4m x 2m structures) have been working incredibly well. In past surveys, we measured over 600 cubic meters of sand accumulation — and on this trip, we were excited to find even more sand. So much, that several of the 2m-tall structures are now covered in sand! The results are showing that our geometry and orientation are working — continuously accumulating sand across multiple monsoon seasons. Even more, the structures are also creating habitats for marine life, protecting native species and encouraging marine growth. We’re looking forward to analyzing the latest survey data to see how much more sand has built up. Season by season, we’re seeing better and better results, showing how we can work with nature to help grow islands. With our amazing collaborators - @invena.co @tajmaldives @insidenatgeo @mit @mitarchitecture @mitsap @mitdesignacademy #SelfAssemblyLab #GrowingIslands #Maldives #ClimateResilience #Innovation

Back in the Maldives! This trip focused on surveying the 54 reef units installed earlier this year at the JW Marriott Kaafu Atoll Island Resort. Our analysis included bathymetry, eDNA sampling of biofilms, sediment, and water, drone surveys, and underwater cameras. In just six months, we have measured 30 meters of new beach, thousands of fish, and natural coral recruitment. This project is thriving! And showing how living/growing infrastructure can help rebuild coastlines and create new marine habitats. With our amazing collaborators - @invena.co @jwmarriotthotels @jwmarriottkaafuatoll @insidenatgeo @mit @mitarchitecture @mitsap @mitdesignacademy #CoastalResilience #MarineScience #ArtificialReef #OceanInnovation #Maldives #NationalGeographic #naturebasedsolutions

Volcanic Infrastructures, a project collaboratively led by @j.roc.jih , @cristina.parreno.alonso , and @skylartibbits , is exhibited at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, curated by Carlo Ratti. Volcanic Infrastructures imagines a new form of distributed landscape infrastructure that will cool, divert, and work with rather than against lava. Through deploying and observing physical prototypes in the field, these experiments aim to take a first step in the development of new infrastructural paradigms. Many thanks to @labiennale and @crassociati for the invitation, and to the @mit Professor Amar G. Bose Research Grant Program for their support of our research. #BiennaleArchitettura2025 #Intelligens Special thanks to our collaborators and team: Cinematography: @jonfromiceland @marinothorlacius Video Editing and Sound Design: @dzz.daisy Icelandic Partners: @siggithorsteinsson @jonhaukurstein Svafa Gronfeldt Team: @emiwis @_nattyp_ @olverimoldow @simonlesinadebiasi avi_____g @nofnathansohn @j_laucks

VOLCANIC INFRASTRUCTURES, a project by @cristina.parreno.alonso , @j.roc.jih and @skylartibbits . Exhibited at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, curated by Carlo Ratti. Volcanic Infrastructures imagines a new form of distributed landscape infrastructure that works with lava. The project asks: Can we collaborate with natural forces rather than against them? Many thanks to @labiennale and @crassociati for the invitation, and to the @mit Professor Amar G. Bose Research Grant Program for their support of our research. #BiennaleArchitettura2025 #Intelligens Special thanks to our collaborators and team: Cinematography: @jonfromiceland @marinothorlacius Video Editing and Sound Design: @dzz.daisy Icelandic Partners: @siggithorsteinsson @jonhaukurstein Svafa Gronfeldt Team: @emiwis @_nattyp_ @olverimoldow @simonlesinadebiasi avi_____g @nofnathansohn @j_laucks

Honored and excited to share a glimpse of our project, Volcanic Infrastructures, a project collaboratively led by @j.roc.jih , @cristina.parreno.alonso , and @skylartibbits , which will be exhibited at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, curated by Carlo Ratti. Volcanic Infrastructures imagines a new form of distributed landscape infrastructure that will cool, divert, and work with rather than against lava. Through deploying and observing physical prototypes in the field, these experiments aim to take a first step in the development of new infrastructural paradigms. Many thanks to @labiennale and @crassociati for the invitation, and to the @mit Professor Amar G. Bose Research Grant Program for their support of our research. #BiennaleArchitettura2025 #Intelligens Special thanks to our collaborators and team: Cinematography: @jonfromiceland @marinothorlacius Video Editing and Sound Design: @dzz.daisy Icelandic Partners: @siggithorsteinsson @jonhaukurstein Svafa Gronfeldt Team: @emiwis @_nattyp_ @olverimoldow @simonlesinadebiasi avi_____g @nofnathansohn @j_laucks

On March 6th, MIT landed on the Moon for the first time since the Apollo era, and I had the incredible opportunity to design and build the mission control room where payloads on the lunar surface were monitored from Earth. Luna: The Mission Control Room is a pure compression, self-supporting structure made from cellular glass blocks. This project was developed in collaboration with skylartibbits , nebyu.haile , @bizarro_slmn , @j.roc.jih , and John Ochsendorf. Luna is currently on display in the Media Lab lobby—go see her, she’s beautiful. Special thanks to the Space Exploration Initiative and the Inploration team for this amazing opportunity. 📸 @realxdd44 @mitsap @mitdesignacademy @mit @mitarchitecture @codyalison

@technologyreview article by Matthew Ponsford on our recent developments in the Maldives with @invena.co and @insidenatgeo @mit @mitarchitecture @mitsap @mitdesignacademy

When Amanda Nguyen (@amandangocnguyen ) embarks on Blue Origin’s New Shepard Mission #NS31 next week, she will carry MIT research into orbit with her. Nguyen, a bioastronautics research scientist and former Media Lab Director’s Fellow, will bring prototypes developed by researchers in the Media Lab’s Women’s Health Program (WHx), Space Exploration Initiative (@explorespace_ml ), MIT Multifunctional Metamaterials Lab (MIT META), and MIT Self-Assembly Lab onto the flight. Learn more: https://www.media.mit.edu/posts/amanda-nguyen-carries-mit-research-projects-into-orbit/ or link in profile.

Constructed using Owens Corning cellular glass—a lightweight and modular material that provides an efficient and durable structure—Mission Control manifests a dual connection to the Moon: its screens deliver real-time views of the lunar surface while its very walls echo the basalt-rich terrain. Leveraging technologies used by the MIT Architecture students and faculty for robotic production and modular design, and their research in optimized structural forms, the self-supporting and fully insulated structure revisits materials that can be produced efficiently here on earth and found naturally on the moon. Project Designer: Mateo Fernandez Structural Lead: Nebyu Haile Fabrication Lead: Simon Lesina-Debiasi Team: Nof Nathansohn, Jared Laucks, Farida Moustafa Faculty: John Ochsendorf,, Brandon Clifford, J. Roc Jih, Skylar Tibbits @mit @mitmedialab @mitarchitecture @mitsap @mateoferfer @codyalison @studio.jih @weareowenscorning @steelcase @mitaeroastro

So proud of @rapidliquidprint for launching their new Levity Printer at @rapid_event today. Such an amazing success so many years in the making - excited for all that is to come!! This all started in 2016 at the Self-Assembly Lab with an idea and a collaboration with @Steelcase and then years of design and development, fast forward to 2020 and spinning out the company and finally launching the machine today! So proud of our incredible team and everyone that has supported us to make it possible! HZG Group BMW i Ventures MassMutual Frank Carsten Herzog Dr. Florian Bechmann Amy Villeneuve Marcus Behrendt Skylar Tibbits Jared Laucks Siegfried Hofmann GmbH: Stefan Hofmann Steffen Neitzel enders GmbH Gradient Control Laboratories: Blake Courter Christophe Guberan Till Seegräber Rarify: Jeremy Bilotti StrongHouse: Dena Yahya Enos alewa heights: Sasha Turkovich Casey Preston Thomas Oakley PLLC : Aaron Oakley Matthew Thomas Rex G. Baker IV Michelle Burnett Steven DiVirgilio, CPA Office for Typography: @Chi -Binh Trieu Chi-Long Trieu Supporting Strategies AMECOS GmbH @NADDCON GmbH Tom Trometer Carsten Hochmuth Gareth Taube Elza Chu Atlas Devices, LLC The whole RLP, Rapid Liquid Print team: Bjorn Sparrman, Aviel Tanzer, Judy Li, Hamilton Forsythe, Kimball Kaiser, Ariane Schoenwiesner, Hesaneh Kazemi, Maxwell Pellerin, Steve Kuei, Madeleine Crane, Schendy Kernizan and many others... Thank you for helping turn vision into reality. —— Today, at @rapid_event , @rapidliquidprint announced our Levity Printer and VEER software. Come to booth #2541 to discover Gravity Free Manufacturing with live printing and demos

We discuss the one size fits all dress with one of its MIT @selfassemblylab creators Sasha McKinlay on The Conversation from the @bbcworldservice in an episode called Fabrics For The Future’. A remarkable idea - you buy a dress from the store and - thanks to the materials it is made of - it is tailored then and there with a machine. Most of us don’t fit well into the clothes sizing system (I’m different dress sizes depending on the style). I remember the moment when someone told me that rich people, when they buy off the rack, get their clothes tailored and that’s why they fit better. Our other guest on this episode, that went out last month, was @pyratex_ founder Regina Polanco. Every week either me or @its_datshiane host a conversation between two women who share some kind of expertise or experience. Do tune in. Our producer was @njaneyt . Many thanks to my friend and fellow National Geographic Explorer - the one and only @skylartibbits who suggested I speak to his colleague Regina. #fabrics #science #innovation #fabrics #explorer

The best part of the job is collaborating with smart, fun, cool people. We loved getting to showcase NoFoamKnit with @selfassemblylab from MIT. Zero waste, mono material, 3D knitting. And good people. Self-Assembly Lab MIT: Susan Williams, Sasha McKinlay, Lavender Tessmer, Jared Laucks, Skylar Tibbits Studio Guberan: Noah Stanley, Titouan Longatte, Christophe Guberan Emeco Team: Jaye Buchbinder, Gregg Buchbinder, Alev Oztas More to come…