‘the patient gardenter’ by visiondivision all images courtesy of visiondivision
stockholm-based visiondivision conducted a week-long workshop at the politecnico di milano,
in milan, italy, in which guest professors conducted an exploration for students to consider
the impact of the fast-paced lifestyle on ecology and environmental issues in architecture.
the result was ‘the patient gardener’, a structure consisting of ten japanese cherry trees which is
the main building material for the construction of a two-story retreat. bending, twisting,
pruning and grafting will be used to control and develop the growth of the building over time.
the trees, chosen because of the time of year and good suitability for the project,
were planted around in an 8 meter diameter ring.
in milan, italy, in which guest professors conducted an exploration for students to consider
the impact of the fast-paced lifestyle on ecology and environmental issues in architecture.
the result was ‘the patient gardener’, a structure consisting of ten japanese cherry trees which is
the main building material for the construction of a two-story retreat. bending, twisting,
pruning and grafting will be used to control and develop the growth of the building over time.
the trees, chosen because of the time of year and good suitability for the project,
were planted around in an 8 meter diameter ring.
to assist in the bending of the trees, a temporary tower stands in the center with ropes attached to the plants,
pulling them gently to create a bend in the trunk as it grows. the stairs, handrails and safety features
will be grafted from fruit trees, generating food simultaneously.
pulling them gently to create a bend in the trunk as it grows. the stairs, handrails and safety features
will be grafted from fruit trees, generating food simultaneously.
a simple maintenance plan and instructs will be passed on to future gardeners. the final result can be
enjoyed on the campus within 80 years.
enjoyed on the campus within 80 years.
rendering – level 0
rendering – level 1
sketch of building growing
detail sketch
sketch of level 0 and level 1
process images of planting trees
guidance and stairs being put into place
completed guidance system
bending maintenance plan
process of creating grass armchair
instructions for grass chair
instructions for furniture
instruction for planting trees
instructions for building structure
VISIONDIVISION (31)
Sep 10, 2014
Feb 03, 2014
Oct 29, 2013
May 17, 2013
Dec 04, 2012PRODUCT LIBRARY
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more comments[url=http://smashmaterials.com/] Smash Materials [/url]
you must be a lot of fun to live with Ron
A branch growing croooked has zero resitance to being crooked
Every tree start life as a flexible twig that is easily bent with a peace of cotton string
I applaud the effort, but to my eyes that structure hardly looks strong enough to counteract the natural tendency trees have to grow upwards, seeking the sun as directly as possible. There is a tremendous amount of force involved, especially as the tree approaches maturity near the top of the structure. Unfortunately, this is where the structure appears to be at its weakest, with what amounts to 10 fully grown cherry trees pulling again a single 2×4. (i could be wrong about the dimensions but unless it is metal the point stands) Furthermore, the entire tower seems designed to withstand compression and remain rigidly perpendicular to the ground. Again, the trees are pulling in directly opposing directions, so you don’t have to worry so much about the structure toppling as you do about it getting torn apart. This could be ameliorated somewhat by extending the cables through the structure and attaching them to the opposite side. However, since the 10 trees are to be spaced evenly in a circle, there will inevitably be some less than optimal load angles that arise when anchoring to a structure with a square cross-section. There is a distinct possibility that I am wrong here, these kids seem smart, I’m sure they ran the numbers. As for me, 30 years of professional woodworking and hobbyist carpentry gives me the gut feeling that this thing would be torn asunder after a ten years and a few strong storms. I really do hope I’m wrong though, I love the idea and would be happy to see it executed!
Epic
Really cool. It’s going to look amazing.
ultimately the tree looks crippled to me. more working against nature than with.