Mirror Cube Treehouse

http://thechive.com/2011/01/19/mirror-cube-treehouse-hotel-in-sweden-is-well-bats-crazy-13-photos/

The Extents of Height and Length

The armature has reached its full height and length.  I am somewhere near the limits of what is possible for one person to accomplish and as the structure looms above I have a sense of "Oh! What have I done!  perhaps Dr. Frankenstein felt similar.  

No, Not Moss; Teddy Bear Hair

 The moss growing experiment didn't go as planned, instead a strange looking form of mold has emerged.  So far, no adverse side effects except the "night-visions" that i have been having for the last two weeks.  Probably not related.  

This is three weeks to a month of new root growth from Salix cuttings which were simply placed in a container of water without rooting hormone.

Stockpiling Salix and Fabricating Armature

Faggots arrive in Bondville

 After harvesting a particular variety of Salix which readily roots from cuttings, I needed to create a holding area to keep it green and pliable.  The photos above are an experiment in which i dug a shallow trench and lined it with a tarp in hopes of keeping the cut ends of the Salix moist until the time of the installation.

This is a crude example of a method for using wire to bind the Salix into a kind of fabric; needs much refining  but i like where it is going.

The armature for the hedge is beginning to take shape although many details are yet to be resolved.

Guy Nordenson

Guy Nordenson, Guy Nordenson and Associates;Princeton University from Taubman College on Vimeo.

algae facade

Algae Facade Prototype from matthew moran on Vimeo.

Green Roof Tiles by Toyota Roof Garden_CK

by Emily Pilloton

Groeimonument _ Growth Monument

http://archinect.com/firms/project/35939293/groeimonument/40581007

lawn chair

Botanical Bricks at the Stock Pavillion

Nesting block study model

I constructed a scale model of a nesting bee block using basswood.  The below images show the middle section of each panel which will hold plant material.

In order to drill my holes at an angle, I constructed a small jig to clamp my basswood to while using the drillpress.

The holes were drilled in two layers of basswood so the holes would come together at an angle.

After drilling all of my holes, I glued the layers of wood together to create many voids throughout the structure.

DIY Wood Stain

Before applying stain

First coat of cocoa  

Tea, coffee, and cocoa 

Although a standard oil based stain would be more durable, I needed a stain to use in a bee nesting box (which cannot be chemically treated).  Bees are attracted to dark wood, so I made my own wood stains using tea, coffee, and cocoa.  I brewed strong tea, coffee, and mixed cocoa and warm water.  I applied each block with several coats.  While the tea stain was not the darkest, but it was the easiest to work with and had the most uniform appearance.

Wood cellular structure

I built a cellular structure based off of the MacPherson patent.  It was cut by hand and took almost a week, after which I realized the pieces could have been cut easier on the CNC machine.  Hindsight is always 20/20.  Next time.   Next I constructed wire cubes to fit into structure that contains the soil and plant material.

The material is composed of pebbles, perlite and sphagnum peat moss.  The plants are sedum that need minimal watering and are easy to maintain.  

Next model I plan on making will be out of corrogated plastic as the structure frame and clear acrylic to cover the open spaces.