MIT Smart Cities Group, Greden & Arbona - Fab Tree Hab

January 25th, 2006

So whats the interactive architecture in this? Well its the slowest form of interaction I’ve posted so far but the process of pleaching gives the patient house builder the ability to share with the tree the role of architect rather than the architect taking entire control of the final outcome of the building.

Growing a home from living trees instead of building a home from felled timber is the goal of an architect from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Mitchell Joachim, part of the MIT Media Lab’s Smart Cities Group, along with ecological engineer Lara Greden and architect Javier Arbona, propose a home that is actually an ecosystem.

The Fab Tree Hab goes beyond sustainable housing and so-called green design — building with materials that have a low impact on the environment and human health.

“Not only does it do zero damage, but it will hopefully clean the air,” said Joachim.

The habitat is based on an ancient gardening method known as pleaching, which weaves together tree branches to form living archways, lattices or screens.

via archinect

Entry Filed under: Kinetic, MIT