Giuliano Mauri conceived a Tree Cathedral, which was started near the northern Italian city of Bergamo in 2010, a year after his death:
The Tree Cathedral consists of 42 columns forming a basilica of five aisles. Fir poles and branches from hazels and chestnuts have been woven together to create a supporting structure for the 42 beeches planted to eventually grow and form the columns. As planned, the surrounding support structure will deteriorate as the beeches grow, creating a seamless transition from the man-made to the natural.
Standing at the foot of Mount Arera, the Tree Cathedral’s structure includes 1,800 fir poles, 600 chestnut branches, and 6,000 meters of hazel branches joined together with wood, nails, and string. The Cathedral takes up 650 square meters and took months to construct. It is more than 90 feet long, nearly 80 feet wide, and ranges in height from about 16 feet to nearly 70 feet.
I can easily imagine Tolkien’s elves building this way — which brings us to Eric S. Raymond’s thoughts on Tolkien and Christopher Alexander’s Timeless Way of Building:
Before you read the rest of this post, go look at these pictures of a Hobbit Pub and a Hobbit House. And recall the lovely Bag End sets from Peter Jackson’s LOTR movies.
I have a very powerful reaction to these buildings that, I believe, has nothing to do with having been a Tolkien fan for most of my life. In fact, some of the most Tolkien-specific details — the round doors, the dragon motifs in the pub — could be removed without attenuating that reaction a bit.
To me, they feel right. They feel like home. And I’m not entirely sure why, because I’ve never lived in such antique architecture. But I think it may have something to do with Christopher Alexander’s “Timeless Way of Building”.
If you liked Doc Brown’s house in “Back to the Future”, it was designed by the Greene & Greene brothers. Their style has similar wood crafted interiors.
In later years, their team included the work of John and Peter Hal, Swedish brothers who were wood workers. Their homes also had subtle Asian and Spanish influences.
Do an image search for “Greene & Greene”
Outdoor churches and churches open to the outdoors are surprisingly common, e.g. Cathedral of the Pines