A lattice modeled on the skeleton of a deep-sea glass sponge has shown promising mechanical behavior in laboratory testing—but it has not yet been proven in buildings. In a 2025 study, RMIT University researchers paired two lattice systems in a design inspired by the Venus’ flower basket sponge, Euplectella aspergillum. Their simulations and tests on a 3D-printed thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) sample suggest the geometry could offer a useful combination of stiffness, energy absorption and unusual compression behavior.
What makes the sponge-inspired design different?
The idea comes from the Venus’ flower basket, a glass sponge whose skeleton has an intricate lattice structure. The sponge itself is not used as a construction material: researchers study its geometry and adapt structural principles for engineered materials.
RMIT’s design combines two lattice systems. Its key feature is auxetic behavior: when compressed, it contracts sideways rather than bulging outward. As RMIT lead author Dr Jiaming Ma put it, “While most materials get thinner when stretched or fatter when squashed, like rubber, auxetics do the opposite.” The paired geometry is intended to retain this behavior while also providing stiffness and absorbing energy.
What performance did RMIT report?
RMIT’s 2025 report compares the design with existing auxetic materials based on re-entrant honeycomb designs, using the same amount of material. The university reported that its lattice was 13 times stiffer, absorbed 10% more energy, and retained auxetic behavior across a strain range 60% greater than the comparison designs.
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Those figures describe a comparison between lattice designs, not a finding that the material is 13 times stronger than concrete or steel, or that buildings made with it would perform better. Stiffness, energy absorption and structural strength are different measures; the reported results do not establish a single ranking across all construction materials.
How far has it been tested?
RMIT reports computer simulations and laboratory testing of a 3D-printed TPU sample. Its 2025 announcement did not document a completed building, building-scale structural testing, service-life data or commercial availability. The researchers said they planned to produce steel versions and explore using the design alongside concrete and rammed-earth structures; those were development plans, not demonstrated building applications.
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The study, “Auxetic behavior and energy absorption characteristics of a lattice structure inspired by deep-sea sponge,” appeared in Composite Structures. RMIT’s report is the basis for the performance figures above; it does not establish field performance or independent replication. Read RMIT’s account of the study.
How does it compare with other sponge-inspired work?
Several research efforts draw on the same glass sponge, but their designs, tests and measurements differ. Their findings should not be combined into one performance claim.
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| Research effort | What was studied or reported | What the result does—and does not—show |
|---|---|---|
| RMIT, 2025 | A paired auxetic double-lattice inspired by the sponge skeleton; simulations and a 3D-printed TPU sample. | Reported comparative stiffness, energy absorption and strain-range results against re-entrant honeycomb auxetics using the same material amount. It is not a building-scale test. |
| Harvard SEAS, 2020 | A square-grid architecture reinforced with two sets of parallel diagonal struts. | Harvard reported more than 20% greater overall structural strength without adding material, and emphasized buckling resistance. This is a distinct lattice design and result, not an RMIT finding. Read Harvard’s account. |
| University of Western Australia account, 2021 | A simulation of approximately 100 billion virtual seawater particles moving around and through the sponge skeleton. | The particle count belongs to a separate study of sponge-flow interactions; it is not a measure of RMIT’s material testing or building performance. Read UWA’s account. |
| UC Berkeley–Harvard, July 2026 | A separate mechano-fluidic project used mechanical and fluid-dynamics simulations, multi-objective optimization, 3D printing and tests of structural and fluidic responses. | This is further sponge-inspired engineering research, not evidence that RMIT’s 2025 design has been deployed or validated in buildings. Read UC Berkeley’s account. |
What would need to happen before construction use?
A promising lattice result is a starting point, not a construction specification. Before a design can support claims about more durable buildings, it would need to be evaluated at relevant scales and under the loads, connections, environmental conditions and safety requirements of its intended application. The cited RMIT announcement does not provide building-scale validation, durability or service-life evidence, structural certification, or a commercially available product.
RMIT says it planned steel versions for potential use alongside concrete and rammed earth, but does not identify a purchasable system or confirm a licensing or collaboration route. The demonstrated TPU sample likewise should not be taken to mean ordinary retail 3D-printer filament reproduces the researchers’ exact geometry or results.
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