Nest We Grow, winner of 4th Annual LIXIL International design-build competition, is a holistic garden capable of connecting members of the community with the cyclical nature of food.

The Nest is designed to pragmatically respond to each element of the cycle, from planting, growing, harvesting, cooking and dining, to composting, which restarts the cycle. Using a 3-dimensional wood frame for the main structure Architects Kengo Kuma & Associates and graduate students from UC Berkeleyincorporated all of these elements into the Nest, creating a productive garden typology. The Nest is capable of being replicated in size or scale and in many different contexts but with the same goal, to bring people closer to the production, consumption and decomposition of food.

The openness of the façade allows the building to incorporate the surrounding natural environment into the interior climate, but can also be closed off to create a buffer between the two. The funnel-shaped roof harvests rain water and snow melt which is delivered to tanks that are then used to irrigate the plants in the concrete wall.

Sustainable farming has been inspiring creatives for quite some time now so it's no surprise that one or two of the projects are slightly left field. Livin Studio have created Fungi Mutarium, a system that consumes biodegradable plastic whilst growing edible mushrooms.