Maker Faire Rome 2025, building facades become living surfaces | The MosSkin project

New materials? Yes, we are talking about projects that use innovative and sustainable materials, characterized by the integration of technology, design, and the environment. New materials include natural and recycled products such as cork and regenerated plastic, solutions for making waste biodegradable, and the use of advanced composites and photonic sensors. While past editions of Maker Faire Rome have showcased the impact of futuristic materials such as graphene, algae, and aerogel, the event held from October 17 to 19, 2025, was no less impressive. Here are a couple of interesting projects.

MosSkin, building facades become living surfaces

A team of botanists and architects, led by E. Roccotiello and K. Perini, has developed MosSkin, a modular vertical greenery system using live moss that is lightweight, economical, and low-maintenance. The structure incorporates irrigation and a waterproof barrier, overcoming the weight and cost limitations of traditional solutions. After years of research, the system is being tested for large-scale applications. The goal is to transform urban facades and surfaces into living ecosystems, contributing to the regeneration of cities.

More specifically, MosSkin is a patented modular eco-envelope for greening building surfaces that combines the aesthetic and functional advantages of live moss with greater ease of installation and reduced maintenance, an ecological and sustainable solution for contemporary architecture that can be easily integrated into existing structures.

At Maker Faire Rome, the spotlight was on a module consisting of a panel, integrated irrigation, and moss. Visitors were able to meet the creators, watch demonstrations, and participate in a study on the aesthetic and functional perception of the MosSkin system.

Volterra Blue Sentinel

Three students from Volterra Scientific High School created Volterra Blue Sentinel, a network of floating sensors that allows boats to monitor the state of the marine ecosystem in real time, which they brought to Maker Faire Rome 2025. “All boats need to do is be equipped with our device,” they explain. No central infrastructure is needed: it is the sea itself, traversed by fishermen and boaters, that becomes an environmental monitoring network. The system, which is already complete, allows data on pollution and coastal erosion to be collected and consulted via the web. It is a participatory science project, created by young people who want to save the sea, one parameter at a time.