In collaboration with Decibel and Vizcom, Caracol brings its cutting-edge robotic additive manufacturing technology to PORTAL, a living design installation debuting at Alcova (Former SNIA Factory, Room SN7a) during Milan Design Week 2025 (April 7-13, 2025).
Created by Decibel and Charles Birshaw, PORTAL explores the future of sustainable furniture design through Vizcom’s AI-assisted creative tools, circular production models, and robotic additive manufacturing.
Set within the abandoned SNIA factory – a raw, post-industrial space now overtaken by nature – PORTAL presents a striking juxtaposition: high-tech fabrication meets organic decay.
The installation draws a conceptual link between the wildness of nature and the precision of robotics, imagining a future where products are both tech-enabled and designed for reintegration into the earth. It’s a visual and experiential statement on how advanced manufacturing can happen anywhere, even in the most unexpected places.
As the technology provider for the project, Caracol supports Decibel with its HeronAM robotic platform, used to produce all ten chairs featured in the installation – designed by leading global creatives and developed through a blend of AI-powered ideation and advanced fabrication techniques.
“Our technology enables localized, on-demand production with total design freedom and drastically reduced waste,” says Francesco De Stefano, CEO of Caracol. “We’re proud to support Decibel’s creative vision and help bring their ideas to life.”
From AI to Additive: A new design workflow and manufacturing model with minimal waste
Caracol’s proprietary robotic system, Heron AM, can produce complex, large-scale creative geometries with precision and efficiency—using sustainable and recycled materials. The result is bold design expressions brought to life with minimal environmental impact.
“PORTAL is about breaking down barriers – between concept and creation, continents and collaborators,” says Adam Hecht, co-founder of Decibel. “With Vizcom and Caracol, we’re showing what’s possible when designers are empowered by access to technology.”
Each of the ten original chairs showcased in the installation has been digitally developed by globally recognized designers using Vizcom’s AI-powered design tools, which turn sketches into high-fidelity renders and 3D models in seconds. Designers leveraged this speed and creative flexibility to iterate across borders and collaborate in real time.
“We’re proud to collaborate with Decibel to show how AI can enhance – not replace – creativity,” says Jordan Taylor, CEO of Vizcom. “PORTAL is a glimpse into a world where design moves at the speed of thought and becomes reality in days, not months.”
The furniture pieces were then manufactured by Decibel in the US and Italy leveraging Caracol’s proprietary robotic platform, Heron AM – allowing for complex geometries, large-scale formats, and the use of recycled or sustainable materials. The result is a bold collection of sculptural yet functional pieces, impossible to achieve through traditional means.
Discovering the power of technology and creativity in design
Through the collaboration of Vizcom, Decibel, Caracol, Balena, Airtech, and KCL, PORTAL exemplifies a new model for creative production—one where AI ideation, robotic fabrication, and circular materials converge to reduce waste, lower costs, and eliminate traditional manufacturing constraints.
The installation – featuring work by top global designers as Karim Rashid, Charles Birshaw, noknok (Eika Weber & Vincent Zigarelli, Philippe Bietenholz, Willo, Brett Akop, Andrew Schainker, Deniz Aktay (awarded as Vizcom Competition Winner) – will be on view at Alcova, Milan, from April 7-13, 2025.
Visitors will witness Caracol’s robotic system in action. Daily live 3D printing sessions will run on-site from 11 am to 7 pm, including the real-time production of the winning design from Vizcom’s global AI furniture design competition.
