Tree Housing

[Corva]

How about living in Trees. And not just in the branches, in the actual tree itself?

The Giant Sequoia can grow to massive diameters, with some measuring 20-30 metres (although I think it may be more like 20-30 feet. Butr still, that is a lot of room). Now, assuming we are skilled enough (and I believe it has been done before, so we are) it should be possible to dig houses inside the tree. There should be plenty of room, even if we can only use half. Have a spiral staricase up the hardwood core, and then dig upwards. A mansion could be constructed out of one of these trees. For those concerned about their 'Carbon Footprint' this could be the perfect house. Throw in the extra amount available on the branches, and your set!

(I have found no prior art on this oln the first google hit page for 'Living inside a tree'.)

Assuming their growth can be accelerated using Genetic Engineering and other, more 'natural' means (increased sunlight using mirrors, increased CO2, increased water) then we could soon all be living in trees.

(This ties in with my Imagine thread)

[vampirehunter42]

Another tree to check out is the Baobab Tree from Africa. But it does take a lot more than just quick growing a tree to work out like that. The wood of a quick grown tree is "softer" than one that takes its time to grow. And may make the trunk unable to support itself. And most trees (at least with the Baobab) naturally create the hollow, and are seldom worked by hand. But that is an idea.

[Silentiea]

I have a whole worldbase that uses a tree for the main setting. The 'plane' (if I may), is an (effectively) endless flat landscape covered in trees of varying sizes. The largest of these are truly massive organisms that have grown such that their interiors (once hollowed) and any constructions around teh outside can house populations in the low billions.

[Blue Tiger]

It would be a sound idea and I believ many people would try it. Have they actually put this idea into practice yet, to see if it would work?

[Corva]

Partly. There's a house somewhere that is constructed from a Baobab tree, and a pub as well.

[Pandora]

the prob is if you couldn't just farm a tree like that you'd be stuck living where ever you planted the tree, that would defently complicate things for the guy growing all these trees. He couldn't just plant a whole bunch of trees in a row then harvest the wood. They would have to select places for each and every tree intended to be used for a house. depending on how far away they made each house from the other could you imagen the work it would take to mass produce these houses?

[Corva]

Yes, I can. It would take almost as much work as building a house.

And with a stone house you're still stuck where you built it.

[vampirehunter42]

Ah, lad. But stone you can trust. That tree will one day die and rot away. But a solid stone house will stand almost forever. [/dwarf mode]


But really check out these two places. Cliff side cities.
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/10362
http://archive.cyark.org/mesa-verde-gallery-photograph

[Corva]

But stone is dead. A tree you can feel its pulse. But stone is cold and dead.

I know about those cliffside cities. I also have ideas for living inside the stone...

[Pandora]

I find stone rather cool and relaxing, now if I lived in a living tree I'd proubly have nightmares about it growing vines and strangleing me or it eating me or something. The thought of living in a living thing is rathrew creepy to me.

[Falconer]

I don't know, I kind of like the idea.