5 ms·

How to build your own living structures (1974, 2011)

53 points by conanxin 3y ago

aaron695 3y ago
[dead]
cvccvroomvroom 3y ago
I'm seriously pondering a semi-/underground house to save on heating and cooling costs, protection from fires, tornadoes, hail, and hurricanes. I advise against circular structures because they're damn difficult to furnish. There's a number of interesting videos on YT about such.
xnx 3y ago
From the headline I thought it was going to be about hedgerows or living bridges (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_root_bridge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_root_bridge)
- RaoulP 3y ago
  It wasn't, but I'm glad you shared this. Wow!
- UncleOxidant 3y ago
  You weren't the only one. I was thinking it would be something like this: https://awaytogarden.com/creating-living-willow-structures-michael-dodge/ https://awaytogarden.com/creating-living-willow-structures-m...
- notyourwork 3y ago
  I would welcome more of these being incorporated into society. They are beautiful and natural.
  - 2ICofafireteam 3y ago
    Yes, they are beautiful and natural. If you don't buy into a humanity/nature dichotomy then skyscrapers can be as well.
    - notyourwork 3y ago
      Skyscrapers can be beautiful. Personally, I really like seeing more plants incorporated into them. Roofs with lush gardens and scapes, plants growing along the sides.
  - inkcapmushroom 3y ago
    Not really anything natural about a carefully manicured root system which has to be continuously maintained by people to grow a certain way or it goes "wild" and is unusable as a bridge or gets too heavy and collapses. However it is beautiful and certainly a great metaphor.
    - notyourwork 3y ago
      Nothing natural about a plant growing? I don't agree, irrespective of whether human intervention is required. It's a living organism that requires a dependency (humans) for longevity, but it is still very much alive and natural.
      - deleted 3y ago
        [deleted]
hacknewslogin 3y ago
Aw man, this guy would probably love strut or 8020.
mitchbob 3y ago
Had a Whole Earth Catalog flashback looking at this, and it made my day. Then even more flashbacks when I went to the page where I can download the PDF: http://www.publiccollectors.org/CompletePublications.htm http://www.publiccollectors.org/CompletePublications.htm . Like traveling to another time.
- cvccvroomvroom 3y ago
  I remember Whole Earth Access in San Jose once upon a time, in a galaxy ...
marssaxman 3y ago
The tube-framed "fun house" looks like it might make a good Burning Man project.
cjohnson318 3y ago
The ergonomics of pulling stuff out of bins with a circular aperture smaller than the inside of the bin is... an interesting decision. All of this seems really rickety and claustrophobic since you have to crawl in and out of everything. Despite all of that, it looks really cool.

53 points by conanxin 3y ago

[dead]

I'm seriously pondering a semi-/underground house to save on heating and cooling costs, protection from fires, tornadoes, hail, and hurricanes. I advise against circular structures because they're damn difficult to furnish. There's a number of interesting videos on YT about such.

xnx 3y ago

From the headline I thought it was going to be about hedgerows or living bridges (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_root_bridge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_root_bridge)

RaoulP 3y ago
It wasn't, but I'm glad you shared this. Wow!
UncleOxidant 3y ago
You weren't the only one. I was thinking it would be something like this: https://awaytogarden.com/creating-living-willow-structures-michael-dodge/ https://awaytogarden.com/creating-living-willow-structures-m...
notyourwork 3y ago
I would welcome more of these being incorporated into society. They are beautiful and natural.
- 2ICofafireteam 3y ago
  Yes, they are beautiful and natural. If you don't buy into a humanity/nature dichotomy then skyscrapers can be as well.
  - notyourwork 3y ago
    Skyscrapers can be beautiful. Personally, I really like seeing more plants incorporated into them. Roofs with lush gardens and scapes, plants growing along the sides.
- inkcapmushroom 3y ago
  Not really anything natural about a carefully manicured root system which has to be continuously maintained by people to grow a certain way or it goes "wild" and is unusable as a bridge or gets too heavy and collapses. However it is beautiful and certainly a great metaphor.
  - notyourwork 3y ago
    Nothing natural about a plant growing? I don't agree, irrespective of whether human intervention is required. It's a living organism that requires a dependency (humans) for longevity, but it is still very much alive and natural.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]

hacknewslogin 3y ago

Aw man, this guy would probably love strut or 8020.

mitchbob 3y ago

Had a Whole Earth Catalog flashback looking at this, and it made my day. Then even more flashbacks when I went to the page where I can download the PDF: http://www.publiccollectors.org/CompletePublications.htm http://www.publiccollectors.org/CompletePublications.htm . Like traveling to another time.

cvccvroomvroom 3y ago
I remember Whole Earth Access in San Jose once upon a time, in a galaxy ...

marssaxman 3y ago

The tube-framed "fun house" looks like it might make a good Burning Man project.

cjohnson318 3y ago

The ergonomics of pulling stuff out of bins with a circular aperture smaller than the inside of the bin is... an interesting decision. All of this seems really rickety and claustrophobic since you have to crawl in and out of everything. Despite all of that, it looks really cool.