Nesting Spiders as Architecture

Thanks for the reply to the last post. This sketchbook page illustrates a moment of Eureka I had a few days ago in response to Baumraum.

My idea was one of architectural metaphor, inspired by the nests spiders build in rushes and long grass. A series of vertical steel ‘rushes’ would be installed in and around existing structures, within which greenhouses and living quarters would be positioned. Linkages between these structures could be interesting, especially with the apparent lack of defined borders. Wind turbine generation would be set into the highest steel beams.

New buildings could also be built as a sort of plinth for the steel rushes, as obviously rectangular-plan buildings are more space efficient, the rushes and spider nest structures breaking the monolithic form.

I am wary of using trees as a long-term support for structures. This is both in terms of damage to the tree itself, and stresses placed on the structure due to tree movement. There would still be a large area for planting of trees within and around the steel rushes, so the impression of a treehouse would be retained.

I saw this as a fairly chaotic system of evolving urban dwelling, set around a central core- interesting to know cognitive resonance is alive and well. I hope you can interpret the sketches; something more legible is to come.

By the way, I found the Baumraum link through an article on o2sustainability. However, I loved the poetry of Baumraum, for the simple expediment that they seem to answer a desire for childhood play in a residential structure, while still providing a serious means of dwelling. And the form of their treehouses was exquisite.