Helas, we received an update that the living house has burnt down to the ground in december 2023. Bob and his family lost everything they had. They are currently rebuilding a house on the same plot of land. If you feel you can help the family rebuild their dream of a living house, your donations are more then welcome via this gofundme link 🙏

https://gofund.me/92b4a5a1

So helas the video gives an impression on how it was. The daily reality of the family looks entirely different today (april 2024)



A House built from Living Trees is truly Nature's Architecture, a charming house built from living trees. Bob and his family are aiming to live in a house enveloped by a mesh of trees.

Living architecture is defined as the use of forces and possibilities given by natural living organisms to help and build low-cost and sustainable construction. Living architecture is not a new concept as it has been used for centuries.

A live architecture house grows, builds, and repairs itself; it changes with the seasons; it uses the forces of nature and is in harmony with its environment; it favors biodiversity and natural equilibrium; it has low cost and does not require considerable workforce or industrial material; carbon free and waste free; returns to nature when no longer in use; enables sustainable and balanced mankind development. A new envelope material with little to no carbon impact is totally different compared to what’s used in more traditional regular houses. Findings demonstrate that such a house is not only feasible but also rational and beneficial from the economic and environmental perspectives.

A family living house usually has two parts with two different functions. One is the structure, which is the part that enables the house to stand against environmental solicitation as well as its own dead load. The other is the envelope, which creates a closed cover that protects its inhabitants mainly from wind, coldness, and wild animals. Nature offers many interesting ways to create the two elements. In this case we look at a house that uses the envelope created by a mesh of living trees.

More info via http://www.thegreenmanproject.nl/

Video production by https://mindfulbuildingandliving.com/