Manuel Benitez Ruiz

Plantaer
New York, Operating Nationally

Project Overview

Plantaer creates biocompatible, cement-free materials that integrate plant life into urban infrastructure to cool buildings, purify air, capture carbon, and deliver exceptional durability.

Five Questions

1What needs does Plantaer address and how?

Traditional concrete drives heat, runoff, and pollution in cities. Plantaer replaces it with a biocompatible, cement-free material that supports permanent plant growth on roofs and facades without soil or added nutrients. Our living surfaces can lower temperatures by up to 20°C, reduce building energy use, and capture stormwater at the source. We target a 10x cost reduction and a 10x longer service life than conventional green roofs and walls and standard concrete, enabling scalable, low-maintenance urban greening.

2Tell us about a moment that helped inspire your idea.

At some point growing up, whether at boarding school in the Cuban rainforest or hiking through the Florida swamps, I fell in love with moss, the tiny organism that quietly covers the corners of forests and cities. Watching it thrive on bare concrete with little water changed my approach. Instead of forcing plants onto buildings with complex layers, we can design the material itself to welcome life. That insight became Plantaer, turning unused roofs and facades into living, cooling, self-sustaining infrastructure.

3What is the biggest challenge you face right now?

Our biggest challenge is integrating truly novel materials into an industry built around cement with long-standing standards and commoditized supply chains. We must deliver greater performance while optimizing for cost, regulatory demands, and manufacturing complexities. Adoption is another hurdle since manufacturers and contractors are rightly cautious about unfamiliar materials and regulatory/safety concerns. We’re addressing this with staged pilots, government and pilot funding, and rigorous third-party testing to lower perceived risk and unlock mainstream adoption.

4What other leaders have informed your work?

While I look up to Neri Oxman for material ecology and Bjarke Ingels for sustainable urban design, our work at Plantaer is guided mostly by hands-on collaboration with team members and advisors across plant science, materials research, facade engineering, and installation crews. Lab results guide chemistry. Field feedback shapes implementation. Community partners keep priorities on heat relief, cleaner air, and usable outdoor space.

5Describe a participant, client, community member, or someone else who represents what your project is all about.

On Governors Island we are building a living façade for a public setting where durability, safety, and simple upkeep matter. With NYSERDA we are developing and commercializing a living roof system for cities with green roof regulations, including New York City, Paris, and London, enabling scalable deployment through standard trades, straightforward installation, and low maintenance. And we recently started working with early customers with more information coming soon.

Learn more about this project

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