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Please do not stop! I absolutely love the idea of buildings lush with vegetation, as if in some post-apocalyptical world where nature has reclaimed the cities.
by Nux 14y ago
Please do not stop!
I absolutely love the idea of buildings lush with vegetation, as if in some post-apocalyptical world where nature has reclaimed the cities.
It may not be very possible/feasible, it may even be a public safety hazard, but I'm so fed up with steel, concrete and glass.
- pauljz 14y agoAgreed. I think a blanket "Don't even try" is silly, and antithetical to the ethos of HN. I'm surprised there isn't more backlash against this. "Don't just draw them on the skyscraper, make it work." would be a better sentiment. If wind is a problem, find a way to break the wind. If roots are a problem, find a way to stop the roots, or trim the roots, and build that into the design. But there's a pile of evidence for the benefits of adding greenery to cities, so please just don't say to stop trying.
- dspeyer 14y agoStill, at least consider if climbing vines on trellises might serve better before putting a ton of effort into trees per se. They provide most of the same greenery benefits, can be made to fit the space, don't have dangerous roots, and are in many ways more robust. Plus they can have flowers or fruits near floor level.
- ams6110 14y agoSome form of vegetation may be feasible. I think the author makes a fairly good argument that trees are not it.
- jahewson 14y ago> post-apocalyptical world where nature has reclaimed the cities We are natural.
- qu4z-2 14y agoYou know what he means. Also, if we're to pick a definition of "natural" that means something more specific than "exists", cities seem like a good candidate for the "unnatural" end of the spectrum.