Guided Growth

Hierarchical 3D knitted scaffolds for
growing deployable land stabilizing plant root structures

Cross-section of a living material sample showing dense grass and roots growing through layers of fibrous material, held in two hands. — Mariana Popescu, Guided Growth, 2026. Courtesy of the artist.

Guided Growth explores how diverse knit architectures can facilitate and guide rooted plant growth in landscapes requiring regeneration, including river banks, slopes, and deforested or degraded terrain. The project proposes functionally graded 3D knitted geotextiles as biodegradable scaffolds deployed on vulnerable sites to stabilize seedlings while influencing soil and sediment dynamics. By integrating biodegradable materials and diverse knit structures, the project creates a soft framework for plants to take root, gently stabilizing the site while supporting the long-term regeneration of the landscape.

Project Leads: Mariana Popescu, MIT
Sara Beery, MIT
Research Team: Ilkyaz Sarimehmetoglu, MIT
Anita Lin, MIT
Research Areas: Ecosystem regeneration
Geotextiles
Knitted-textile architecture

Through biodegradable 3D-knitted geotextiles, Guided Growth explores the potential of temporary scaffolds for vulnerable terrain. Varied knit architectures are designed to support young plants, encourage root development, and influence how soil settles and gathers around them. Different structures catch, release, shelter, and guide according to the needs of the site, operating less as barriers than as soft infrastructures that work with, rather than against, environmental forces.

Collage of close-up experiments showing seeds germinating and plant roots growing through layers of soil, mesh, and fibrous textile materials. — Mariana Popescu, Guided Growth, 2026. Courtesy of the artist.

The project is currently testing a range of knit architectures and biodegradable coating strategies at the laboratory scale to better understand how textile structure, material behavior, and degradation can be tuned for future site deployment. These experiments investigate how different knit geometries interact with root growth, laying the groundwork for site-specific applications across a variety of landscapes.

Six close-up views of loosely knitted natural-fiber textiles, showing variations in stitch pattern, density, and texture.

Working across scales, from material composition to stitch architecture to landscape deployment, Guided Growth approaches knitting as a method of ecological care and regeneration. The scaffold is intended to protect seedlings during the critical window of establishment before gradually biodegrading, allowing plant root networks to take over the role of stabilization. As the textile recedes, an emerging planted terrain remains. By bringing together knit architectures and ecological restoration, the project reimagines erosion control as a guided process of growth, resilience, and landscape transformation.