Houses Woven Out of Trees Proposed:
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.
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The habitat is based on an ancient gardening method known as pleaching, which weaves together tree branches to form living archways, lattices or screens.In Joachim’s vision, the exterior of the living house is shaped over the course of several decades into a protective crisscross of vines, interspersed with soil pockets and growing plants.
A clay and straw composite fills in the gaps to insulate against the cold and heat and keep out moisture.
He proposes constructing windows manufactured from soy-based plastics that would flex with the home as it grows.
Water would be gathered in a roof-top trough and circulate by gravity through the house, where it would be used by the inhabitants, filtered through a garden, and purified in a pond containing bacteria, fish, and plants that consume organic waste.
It shouldn’t take more than a few decades to grow a new home…