INCORPORATING TREES INTO ARCHITECTURE

Mika Tse (OHS)

It is only natural that humans should be inspired by the environment. We can even see the influence of trees and nature on modern, urban cities; from the Sagrada Familia’s tree-like columns, to children playing in treehouses. Green architecture is becoming more common and it plays a huge part in world conservation. The concept of green architecture revolves around creating structures that use clean, renewable resources and generate their own energy to use water, lighting, heating, cooling and ventilation efficiently whilst being aware of its surroundings and natural climate. According to a 2016 report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), 84 gigatonnes of oxygen could be saved by 2050 just by using renewable energy in buildings [1]. The European Commission also stated that €280 to €410 billion could be saved by taking worldwide energy efficiency measures [1]. Living architecture has been around for many years; one of the earliest examples are the vine bridges of West Iya Valley in Japan. It was built by growing Actinidia arguta and wisteria vines from one side of the river to the other and then woven in-between planks. Legend says that defeated Heike soldiers built them whilst fleeing from the Genji Clan in search of a safe home. The early bridges had no railings, so the instability of the bridge made it difficult for strangers to cross and it could be easily cut down to stop enemies crossing the river. People believe there could have been at least 13 bridges, but of the 3 remaining the biggest is the Iya Kazurabashi Bridge which can be visited and crossed today. As time progressed, green architecture became a way to save the world, as opposed to just a way to tackle enemies. Awareness to climate change began in 1837 with Louis Agassiz and his theory on continental glaciation. In the 1960s, American youths then began to rebel against unrestricted urban growth and congestion rise, so architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright promoted green architectural ideas. Architects who designed and implemented the greenest methods were certified by the U.S. Green Building Council Builders (USGBC) under their green building rating system Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED). Although LEED was formed in 1994, it’s still in place today and ensures independent verification of environmentally friendly buildings. So, what does green architecture look like now? These days, green methods are becoming popular, for example: solar panels, roof gardens, moss walls and rain gardens. The Chêne Chapelle of AllouvilleBellefosse was built in the 1600s after lightning hollowed out a tree. Two chapels were carved inside and it’s now the oldest known tree in France at nearly 1000 years old.

One of the most impressive rooftop gardens is Japan’s ACROS building by Emilio Ambasz. With its 15 stepped terraces, it provides green spaces that are hard to come by in Fukuoka’s city.

In Thailand, the Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew is built entirely of over 1.5 million beer bottles pushed into cement which covers every surface inside and out from floors to walls. Buddhist monks started the ‘100 Beer Bottles on the Wall’ campaign in efforts to reduce littering and pollution as they encouraged everyone to reuse and recycle by bring their empty beer bottles to build the temple. After finishing the temple, the monks went on to build murals, crematoriums, sleeping rooms and even toilets just using the beer bottles. Architect Vincent Callebaut reimagined what Paris may look like in 2050 calling it the ‘smart city’- a whole city of huge, futuristic, green buildings.

Though the future is uncertain, it seems like green architecture will continue to be an important part of the environment in which humans and nature will thrive.

Bibliography

[1] World Green Building Council, The benefits of green buildings, https://www.worldgbc.org/benefitsgreen-buildings Atlas Obscura, The Vine Bridges of Iya Valley,

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/vine-bridgesjapan

Barnes, S., (2015), Architect Designs Paris of 2050 as Eco-Friendly Smart City, https://mymodernmet.com/vincent-callebaut-parissmart-city/ Douglass, M., (2015), Nine incredible buildings inspired by nature, http://www.bbc.co.uk/earth/ story/20150913-nine-incredible-buildings-inspired-bynature

Honeyager, M., (2015), Green Architecture: Past, Present and Future, https://recyclenation. com/2015/06/green-architecture-past-present-andfuture/

Kader, M., Faggal, A., Ehab, A., Tracing History of the Green Architecture and Sustainability Movements, https://www.academia.edu/25524916/ Tracing_History_of_the_Green_Architecture_and_ Sustainability_Movements

Mun-Delsalle, Y., (2017), ACROS Fukuoka Prefectural International Hall Shows How Japan Is at The Forefront of Façade Greening, https://www.forbes. com/sites/yjeanmundelsalle/2017/02/19/acrosfukuoka-prefectural-international-hall-shows-howjapan-is-at-the-forefront-of-facade-greening/ Murray-White, J., (2019), What is Green Architecture?, http://www.sustainablebuild.co.uk/what-greenarchitecture.html

Ombellini, S., (2020), Green Architecture: What Makes a Structure a “Living Building”, https://ecobnb.com/ blog/2020/04/green-architecture-living-building/ Ragheb, A., El-Shimy, H., Ragheb, G., (2016), Green Architecture: A Concept of Sustainability, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/ S1877042815062552

Scientific American, (2009), Green Architecture: What Makes a Structure a “Living Building”?, https://www. scientificamerican.com/article/earth-talks-livingbuilding/

Unknown, (2014), The Peculiar Chapel of AllouvilleBellefosse,

https://www.normandythenandnow.com/theperculiar-chapel-of-allouville-bellefosse/ Vallas, T., Courard, L., (2017), Using nature in architecture: Building a living house with mycelium and trees, Frontiers of Architectural Research, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/ S2095263517300353#s0005

Image Sources

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