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ORGANIC · SPECULATIVE — PROJECT 08
Speculative agriculture
Three rotating terrarium models that give every crop exactly the light it needs — inspired by the Pyramids of Babylon, the globe, and a popsicle
Speculative design · Goldsmiths · 2022
ROLE
Solo designer, researcher
OBJECTS
The Pyramid · The Globe · The Plant Popsicle
OUTPUT
3 scaled models + technical drawings + instruction manual
MATERIALS
Hand sketching · Physical modelling
THE BRIEF
THREE MODELS — OVERVIEW
MODEL 01 — THE PYRAMID
Every crop has a specific sunlight requirement — the angle, duration, and intensity it needs to grow well. Most allotment or indoor farming setups ignore this entirely, placing plants in fixed positions and hoping for the best. This project proposed a different approach: what if the planter itself rotated to track and optimise light exposure for each crop, independently and simultaneously?
TECHNICAL DRAWINGS + INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Each model was documented with technical drawings showing construction detail and mechanism. An instruction manual was produced explaining crop requirements and how to use the terrarium allotment to optimise crop growth.
The first model in the plantation series. Inspired by the Pyramids of Babylon — specifically the idea of a stepped, tiered structure that allows different levels to receive different conditions simultaneously.
The Pyramid has three growing layers, all joined by a central axel that runs through the structure vertically. This axel facilitates rotation — all three layers can rotate together as a unit, or each layer can rotate independently from the others.
This independent rotation is the key innovation: different crops on different layers can be oriented to receive exactly the sunlight angle they need, at the same time, within the same structure. A crop that needs direct overhead sun sits differently to one that prefers indirect side light — and The Pyramid accommodates both without compromise.
Inspired by — Pyramids of Babylon
Layers — 3
Rotation — Together + independently
Scale — Scaled-down prototype
The result is a series of three speculative terrarium plantation models — each a scaled-down physical prototype of a concept that could work at allotment scale. Each model solves the light problem differently, drawing on a completely different historical or everyday inspiration.
MODEL 02 — THE GLOBE
MODEL 03 — THE PLANT POPSICLE
The second model in the series takes its form and behaviour directly from a globe — an object designed to represent the Earth's tilt and rotation in a way that is immediately legible to anyone who has ever held one.
The third and most formally unexpected model in the series. Inspired by a bundle of different references — a popsicle, the pull-out mechanism of drawers, and the logic of layered vertical structures — The Plant Popsicle approaches the light problem from a completely different direction.
The Globe rotates at a set angle — but that angle is customisable, adjusted according to the specific sunlight requirements of the crop growing inside it. A crop that needs light from a low angle gets a shallow tilt; one that needs more direct overhead exposure gets a steeper one.
Rather than rotating a single mass, it works on a hydroponic system of plantation — a version of vertical farming where crops are stacked in horizontal layers that can be pulled out like drawers, giving each level independent access to light, water, and airflow.
The form of the globe is also functional: its rounded shape means there are no corners or flat edges where light fails to reach. The entire growing surface curves toward the light source as it rotates, ensuring even exposure across the full plant.
You can grow various varieties of crops simultaneously — each drawer holding a different species with different requirements — or the same crop across all layers for maximum yield. The structure is compact, space-efficient, and suited to both allotment and indoor growing contexts.
Inspired by — A globe
Rotation — Customisable angle
Axis — Tilted, adjustable
Scale — Scaled-down prototype
Inspired by — Popsicle, drawers, layers
System — Hydroponic
Type — Vertical farming
Crops — Mixed or single variety
OUTCOME & REFLECTION
Both objects were prototyped and sound-tested. The Megaphone produced noticeably directional audio — placing it over an overhead speaker reduced diffuse room sound and made speech more intelligible at a distance. The Olive's resonance characteristics were more subtle but audibly present with low-frequency sources.
The project's most important finding was not acoustic but conceptual: the most effective solutions to sound problems in this context were 2,000 years old. The value of historical research in product design is not nostalgia — it's access to solutions that have already been proven by time.
The Pyramid
MODEL 01
3 rotating layers on a central axel. Inspired by the Pyramids of Babylon.
The Globe
MODEL 02
Rotates at a customisable angle matching crop sunlight requirements. Inspired by the globe.
The Plant Popsicle
MODEL 03
Hydroponic vertical farming. Inspired by a popsicle, drawers, and layered structures.
OUTCOME & REFLECTION
All three models were physically prototyped at scale. The Pyramid's independent layer rotation worked as designed — rotating layers separately allowed noticeably different light angles to be achieved simultaneously within the same structure. The Globe's adjustable tilt proved the simplest mechanism of the three and the most immediately intuitive to use. The Plant Popsicle's drawer system demonstrated the strongest space efficiency.
The series as a whole is speculative rather than production-ready — its value is in demonstrating that the light-optimisation problem in small-scale agriculture is solvable through mechanical means, without electronics, sensors, or automation. The next step would be testing at actual allotment scale with real crops over a growing season.