THE LIVING PAVILION TERRESTRIAL REEF
Can a building be made from living trees?
The first of its kind, the Fab Tree Hab is a terrestrial reef and grafted living tree structure. Shared by people and animals, this multispecies habitat combines indigenous tree-grafting techniques with computationally designed cross-laminated timber (CLT) arch scaffolds. The goal is to prototype a dwelling seamlessly integrated into its natural landscape and to replace harmful industrial materials with durable, bio-based alternatives. Foundation elements use almost no concrete and all of the facade elements are either cedar or jute treated with beeswax and pine rosin to prevent decay. In every respect, this project generates life and minimizes carbon footprint, pushing the boundaries of regenerative design.
The project was supported with a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts, and has won numerous awards, including from Core 77, Fast Company, Rethinking the Future, and more. It has been featured in articles in Designboom, Domus, Fast Company and others.
Location: New Windsor, NY
Year: 2023
Client: Terreform ONE
Service: Pavilion, biotechnology, architecture, landscape architecture
Firm: Terreform ONE
Credits: Terreform ONE, Mitchell Joachim (Cofounder/ Principal Investigator), Vivian Kuan (Executive Director), Nicholas Lynch, Avantika Velho, Claudia D'Auria, Mamoun Friedrich-Grosvenor, Grace Morenko, River Prud’Homme, Brook Boughton.
Fabrication: Arch Production and Design LLC., Evan Collier (Founder/Lead Fabricator). GreenCastle Building Solutions, LLC., A.J. Dederick (President). DCM Fabrication INC.
Advisors: LandShifterZ, Ezekiel Golan. Arborsmith Studios, Richard Reames.
Structural Engineer: Robert Silman Associates Structural Engineers, DPC, Justin Den Herder, PE, (Principal), Takuma Yonebayashi.
Agriculture: SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Aidan Ackerman, Timothy A. Volk.
Video Production: Michelle Alves de Lima.
Arborist: Link Zampino.
Concepts/ Research: Lara Greden, Javier Arbona, Nina Anker, Maria Aiolova, Sky Achitoff, Nicholas Gervasi, Eli Stoken, Dora Hauache, Maria Abdelazim, Lucy Gagne, Landon Young, Grace Jung, Abigail Weinstein, Iyad Abou Gaida, Connor Lambrecht, Tashania Akemah, Tara Cotrim, Zander Leff, Akhil Kulkarni, Mauro Edel Rodriguez, Vivian Jiang, Skylar Perez, Robin Stiefel, Lisa Wood Richardson, Ella Rocker, Elliot Zubkus, Adrian “Teddy” Kos, David Paraschiv.
Sponsors: National Endowment for the Arts, Ove Arup Foundation, NYU Gallatin, RNR Foundation