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Living tile created for sustainability company’s new office

10/07/25

Image of rylee_shafer_and_andel_living_tile_2.jpg

A Barnsley-based company has collaborated with local artist Rylee Shafer to create a living tile inspired by a 19th-century Leeds map for its new office.

Andel, the UK’s leading developer of environmental protection systems, commissioned the ceramics artist to create ‘Symbiocity’, a moss-covered tile as part of its office expansion.

Mark Harris, Commercial Director at Andel, collaborated with Rylee Shafer after meeting her at the Student Sustainability Research Conference at the University of Leeds in March.

Rylee Shafer said, “When I met Mark, I think he was inspired by the art I showcased. It’s all created on the theme of sustainability and how the built world interacts with the natural, and I think he saw a link to what Andel does as a company.

“I decided to create something that would be placed on the outside of a building and could host other life forms.

“The tile is made from ceramic, and I used dry and wet mosses to see what would thrive on it. I had the idea that ceramic would absorb water from the air, and the plants could grab moisture from it. Ants, spiders and other insects can crawl into it, and birds can get bits from it for their nests.

“A lot of my work is topographical, and I was inspired to use a town map of Leeds from 1850 to create the lines on the tile. Before the Andel one, I made a prototype which is at the greenhouse in the Student Union at the University of Leeds.”

Andel is the UK’s leading developer of specialised leak detection, water sustainability, flood defence, and environmental protection systems, and has installed its Floodline system in prestigious London buildings, including the Shard, the Houses of Parliament, the O2, the ‘Walkie Talkie’ building, and Canary Wharf.

Commercial Director, Mark Harris, said: “We have installed the tile on a plinth outside our new building. I wanted something that would represent the growth of our company and thought Rylee’s work a perfect fit.