growing next level
How the Germans grow their own treehouse
The term "Baubotanik" stands for a basic approach to engineer with living plants. Single plants merge into a new and bigger overall organism and technical elements are included into the vegetable structure during the period of growth. Currently a Baubotanik Tower is being built - or actually being grown - in Germany. This test and demonstration building exemplifies new possibilities of engineering with living plants and visualizes the architectual and ecological potential of Baubotanik.
The building has a footprint of about eight square meters and a height of barely nine meters and consists of three walkable levels. It is the first baubotanical project, which was realized by using the plant addition method.
The whole construction is supported by a temporary steel tube scaffold, which is anchored in the ground by a screw base, which can be removed. The plant containers are constantly kept wet to ensure the necessary watering of the plants. On that contition, all plants will completely intergrow with each other. Thereby it shall be examined how long it takes for the structure to get water and nutriens out of the ground independently.
As soon as the living structure is stable enough to support the ingrown levels and take over the loading capacity, the scaffold will be removed. Depending on many factors, this process can not be predicted. It is to be studied in this structure.
The Baubotanik tower won’t be finished until 2028.