topos 103 – Leseprobe

to po s. no 103

2018

EXTRACT

STORYTELLERS – A personal photographic quest to the wisest trees on earth 18

Trees

36 THE TREE CONSTRUCTOR – Architect Ferdinand Ludwig creates constructions with living plants

SLEEPING BEAUTIES – A million seeds hibernate in Svalbard to save the world’s biodiversity 70

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Trees

Urban Tree as Prodigy 006

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The urban landscape is a concentration of activities and architecture in constant change. Processes in the past resulted in the urban structures of today and today’s actions will create the urban landscapes of tomorrow. The urban tree population plays an important role in all these aspects. Many of the older trees found in today’s cities can be regarded as heirlooms from previous urban landscapes.

They help to create an identity of place in the otherwise changing and bustling city. At the same time, both the older and the more recent tree populations provide a resource supplying many of the ecosystem services upon which cities and their residents depend.

HENRIK SJÖMAN & JOHANNA DEAK SJÖMAN

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Melbourne's Future Urban Forest Vision: The goal is to increase the green in the public realm as a vital tool for climate change mitigation and adaptation and for improving citizens' health.

Trees

From Melbs’ Elm The City of Melbourne’s Urban Forest Strategy comprises a management and adaptation plan aimed at increasing the public realm canopy cover to 40 percent by 2040.

Based on a multi-disciplinary approach and involving stakeholders across different scales, the strategy goes beyond planting trees by addressing future social and climate change. All the while citizens and trees actually write each other.

Visualization: City of Melbourne

SIGRID EHRMANN

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Trees

The Tree Constructor Ferdinand Ludwig is a German architect and Professor for Green Technologies in Landscape Architecture at the Technical University of Munich. His research interest, which he initially developed while studying at the University of Stuttgart, concerns using trees’ natural constructive abilities for architectural purposes. This field, which he expanded and renewed, is called Baubotanik, translated in English as living plant constructions. Based on their research, Ludwig and his team at the TU Munich, as well as his partner architect Daniel Schönle, have been developing new ideas for preparing cities for a sustainable future and making them resilient to the challenges of climate change.

INTERVIEW: TANJA GALLENMÜLLER

topos: Mr. Ludwig, you are an architect. However, instead of working with bricks, concrete or wood, your construction material of choice are trees. Why? FERDINAND LUDWIG: I’m not only an architect but also someone who transcends boundaries. I studied architecture, but in the course of my Ph.D. research, which was largely concerned with botany and biomechanics, I moved quite a bit away from architectural topics. It was only later that I found my way back to architecture, the construction of

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The inosculation of stems, traditionally applied in horticulture for grafting, is one of the techniques used

by Baubotanik specialist Ferdinand Ludwig to artificially form structures made of trees.

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Located in a floodplain and surrounded by suburban housing, Bangkok’s Metro Forest can be observed from an elevated walkway system and viewing tower.

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Trees

Next Stop The Metro Forest Project features a habitat for various species of flora and fauna and an exhibition centre on a reclaimed site along Bangkok’s eastern urban fringe.

More than 60,000 trees were planted here, reminiscent of historic forest landscapes. The award-winning outdoor land art experience also enhances the urban quality of life of local communities.

Photo: (c) Rungkit Charoenwat

DANAI THAITAKOO, ASAN SUWANARIT & MINGKWAN NANTAVISAI

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