Japanese architecture and engineering firm Mitsubishi Jisho Design has unveiled details of a sustainable teahouse project at the upcoming Venice Architecture Biennale, which takes place from May 20th to November 26th in what is now its 18th edition.

The Veneti-An Tea House prototype is included in the European Cultural Center’s Time Space Existence exhibition, which runs parallel to the fair in the city's Giardini Marinaressa Gardens. According to its designers, the scheme is meant as a place of “renewed connection.” Its structure is composed of food waste products, adding to the intended exploration of themes of environmental protection and sustainable design.

The components are culled from local coffee grounds and pasta (common waste products in Italy, according to the designers) made using Fabula Food Concrete, a University of Tokyo-born Japanese product that entered the market only recently and offers architects the chance to build using a material that is strong and waterproof.

The design team says the prototype can be assembled anywhere in the world, relying on a series of 45° waterproof pasta joints that can be adjusted to the latitude of each location in order to provide the best sun-shading solution possible. 

Tea ceremonies will be held in the structure from 5:00 to 8:00 P.M. on May 18th and 19th. Another ceremony will be held on May 20th at 11:00 A.M. to coincide with the Biennale’s opening. 

Designers Takaaki Fuji, Hiroya Inage, and De Yuan Kang were responsible for delivering the project and will be on hand on the 18th and 19th to discuss their work further.

More coverage of this year's Venice Biennale can be found here.