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Living plant construction

June 11, 2013

Ferdinand Ludwig of the University of Stuttgart wants to make the buildings of the future greener by using plants instead of steel. To that end, he's grafted plane trees so they form a stable latticework.

https://p.dw.com/p/18lsM
15.02.2013 DW PROJEKT ZUKUNFT Baumhaus

Metal scaffolding still supports the structure, but he hopes that in a few years, when the plane trees have grown thicker, a self-supporting and load-bearing structure will be the result. Because every species of tree has its own qualities, the architectural botanist spent years experimenting with different plants, studying optimal growing conditions and stability.

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Ferdinand Ludwig of the University of Stuttgart wants to make the buildings of the future greener by using plants instead of steel. To that end, he's grafted plane trees so they form a stable latticework. Metal scaffolding still supports the structure, but he hopes that in a few years, when the plane trees have grown thicker, a self-supporting and load-bearing structure will be the result.
June 7, 201306:27 min