The Fab Tree Hab is a hypothetical ecological home design developed at MIT by Mitchell Joachim, Javier Arbona and Lara Greden. With the idea of easing the burden Humanity places on the environment with conventional housing by growing “living, breathing” tree homes.

It would be built by allowing native trees to grow over a computer-designed (CNC) removable plywood scaffold. Once the plants are interconnected and stable, the plywood would be removed and reused. MIT is experimenting with trees that grow quickly and develop an interwoven root structure that’s soft enough to “train” over the scaffold, but then hardens into a more durable structure. The inside walls would be conventional clay and plaster.

An old methodology new to buildings is introduced in this design – pleaching. Pleaching is a method of weaving together tree branches to form living archways, lattices, or screens. One of the companies giving advice on the use of Aeroponic culture with pleaching is Plantware The load-bearing part of the structure is to use trees that self-graft or inosculate such as Live Oak, Elm and Dogwood. The lattice frame for the walls and roof are created with the branches of the trees. Using vines to create a dense protective layer woven along the exterior, interspersed with soil pockets and growing plants. To increase the control, depth and accuracy of this building method a conventional computer designs the scaffold use to grow the plants on.

The Fab Tree Hab is an experiment that would develop over time. Extra operating costs required over the life-time of the home include pest management with organic pesticides and maintenance of the living machine’s water treatment system. Technical demonstration and innovation is still needed for certain components, primarily the bioplastic windows that accept growth of the structure and the management of flows across the wall section to assure that the interior remains dry and animal-free. All in all, the elapsed time to reach livability is greater than the traditional sense, but so should be the health and longevity of the home and family. Above all, building this home could be achieved at a minimal price. Depending on the surrounding climate the house is to be grown in, the team expect it will take a minimum of five years to complete its structure. Realization of these homes will begin as an experiment, and it is envisioned that thereafter, the concept of renewal will take on a new architectural form – one of inter-dependency between nature and people.

As of May 2007 Mitchell Joachim stated that there is a “50 per cent” organic project in California. Combining natural elements and traditional construction.

Trees
Main trees suggested to be used are elms and oaks. The teams hopes the homes can be grown using mainly native trees.

Green buildings conserve energy, water resources, and construction materials to avoid indoor and outdoor pollution. This increased awareness of the depletion of the ozone layer and pollution caused by building materials and processing. The design method adopted is called green design. The purpose of the design is to advocate the protection and recycling of energy and natural resources, and to create an ideal ecological environment. Automated buildings use alternative energy sources such as wind power, solar power, and rainwater harvesting systems to reduce the building’s dependence on externally supplied energy such as oil. These buildings also often use recycled building materials.

Most agricultural organizations claim that existing pesticide regulations and soil conservation programs have properly protected topsoil and wildlife. Some organizations believe that current regulations are not conducive to sustainable development, and that agricultural reforms can reduce the use of pesticides as much as possible in order to reduce the ecological risks while maintaining sufficient production. Although all parties still have many debates in their practices, no single entity believes that sustainable agriculture is a dream that cannot be achieved.

In terms of urban planning, following the sustainable design guidelines for planning street public facilities and other configurations can reduce the impact on the environment. Many times, ignoring the natural environment of the base during the initial planning has often led to disasters: rivers have been blocked, landslides, large-scale soil erosion, flooding, and pollution.

Automotive industry design should be based on maintenance and dismantling and recycling, and use of recyclable materials such as steel, aluminum, and glass. Careful selection of materials and rigorous manufacturing processes can make sustainable design products comparable in price and performance to general products.

Cleaners, newspapers, and all kinds of disposable products should be self-decomposing. Common ways are natural spoilage in air, water, or soil. The challenge of this type of sustainable design product is to reduce costs and color limitations. In addition, because the waste of this type of product is generally disposed of in a landfill at a landfill site, whether or not these self-decomposing designs can function is still questioned in the absence of air and water.

High-efficiency wind turbines can be built using recycled aluminum, steel, or even small appliances. Choosing the right location to set up a wind power plant can generate enough renewable energy to supply industrial use.

Source From Wikipedia