Selected among ArchDaily’s  Best New Practices 2023, Willow Technologies was founded by designer Mae-Ling Lokko. This Ghanaian-Philipino architectural designer works towards the research, development, and deployment of bio-based building materials.

Willow Technologies’ materials

Working with agricultural waste and biobased materials implies technical questions regarding scalability, industrial production, standardization, fireproofing, and mechanical strength. Exploring these elements in the context of developing regions in Western Africa is Willow Technologies’ starting point.

Through comprehensive work with coconuts, moringa, rice, and other indigenous crops, the practice investigates and catalogs the material character of various crops, possible by-products, local processing techniques as well as the prospects and challenges of scalability involved in building materials.