Going Green

Photos Courtesy of Dr. Mitchell Joachim, Terreform

 

Tree houses are branching out

If hugging a tree isn't enough, some day you could find yourself living in an absolutely green community — that is, if members of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology human ecology design team realize their vision. The team conceived a home that not only incorporates "green" design but also is an actual living ecosystem. Known as the Fab Tree Hab, the home is the creation of architect Mitchell Joachim, environmental engineer Lara Greden and architect Javier Arbona-Homar.

The actual structure would feature plants that grow over a computer-designed plywood structure. Through a gardening method known as pleaching, young trees would be woven together into a shape such as an archway or lattice. As the framework matured (from a few years to a few decades, depending on the climate) a dense layer of protective vines would be woven onto the exterior walls. Interior walls would be created using a mixture of clay and straw, with the rest of the home resembling a normal interior, according to Joachim, who is also executive director of Terreform, a philanthropic design collaborative that integrates ecological principles in the urban environment. Soy-based plastic windows would absorb warmth in the winter while water collected on the roof would be routed through the house and used for human consumption and to nourish plants.

"Our goal is to make a positive contribution to the environment," says Joachim. "It's about being accountable for what has already been done." www.terreform.org

Robert Bosch r&d center is a lesson in sustainable design

Photo by Justin Machonochie

The Robert Bosch LLC Research & Development Center in Plymouth Township, MI, features sustainable design elements inside and out. A closed-loop heat pump system recovers heat generated from thermal chambers and compressors in the lab and circulates it to help heat the 225,000 square foot, $37.5 million facility. Designed by commercial architect firm Harley Ellis Devereaux, the facility's storm water management system captures storm water onsite and channels it through bio-swales (landscape elements designed to remove silt and pollution from surface runoff water), rain gardens and wetlands for maximum filtration. The bio-swales are positioned in a linear arrangement within the parking lots, permitting sheet flow of storm water into the swales, which double as convenient areas for snow storage. The development also features indigenous plantings such as native tree groupings and prairie-meadow species. www.bosch.com