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Science has a very cool feature about eco-architecture. The practice of
arborsculpture is to shape trees into objects, and Tel Aviv University
researchers are working to create large-scale structures. They’re talking about
playgrounds, bus shelters, benches, gates and street lamps, possible even
homes. Trees are grown using aerial root development, an air-based approach
that makes the roots more pliable, allowing them to be shaped.

 

The university is working with Plantware, and their online gallery shows everything
from a coat hanger to a toilet paper rack to a love seat, all made from trees. It’ll
be a while before they’re ready to debut a prototype for a home, and I can’t
wait to see what they come up with. I may never live in a tree, but it’s this
kind of out-of-the-box, creative thinking that is going to help affect positive
change in the world.