Constructing a building involves a lot of choices, and one of the most important is choosing your materials to build it. It could be brick or timber, or something completely different, but not many will use living trees to construct a building, but that is exactly what architect Giuliano Mauri managed to do.
His Cattedrale Vegetale (or Tree Cathedral) proves there is always a new approach to building something, even a cathedral. Using frameworks to manipulate growth, the building will eventually grow into itself. The idea is for the canopies at the top of each row to eventually merge, giving a gothic-like ceiling made of living trees.
The frames used to manipulate the growth will eventually decay themselves, and will be replaced by hornbeam trees that have been planted at the center of each frame. Sadly, Maurai died before he could see his work completed, but his designs will live on and inspire many more innovative ways to construct a building.
Aldo Fedele (left) | Arte Sella (right)
