Forest city v.06.49.22.11.2008.

Forest city elements of forest city

Tree

What would a house or a city look like if a tree was taken as its main spatial element? A tree can thus be understood as a space, change, nature, structure, identity or a frame, accompanied by all of its natural alternations. It is not „a tree versus architecture“ relation, but a process of mutual approptiation and suplementation. The boundaries between the architectural space and nature are now set in a non-hierarchical symbiotic relationship with the aim of creating new spatial, phenomenological and natural qualities.

Forest city

House

The house is a transparent tower surrounded by trees. It is modulated by vertical perforations of a single continuous surface. The house is defined through three different spatial contexts provided by the forest. The main emphasis of the ground-floor of the house is a great hypostyle hall under the tree tops. The continuity of this ground-floor space creates the common basis of the new city. The second level of the house is nested into the tree crowns, providing conditions for life among the trees. The uppermost level, a scenic tree crown plateau, creates the atmosphere of tranquility and serenity. Along with the seasonal changes, the growth of the trees, the house itself becomes part of a continuous, dynamic modification of space. Almost like delicate unobtrusive greenhouses, the houses blend into the environment. The transparent envelope subtly defines habitable pockets of nature.

transparent houses

Hypostyle hall

The tree, as its main spatial element, defines the hypostyle hall. The distribution of trees according to a predefined grid serves not only as a contextual element, but gives also impression of an interior landscape within the hypostyle hall. By placing four transparent houses in the forest, their diaphanous envelopes seem to disappear. Nature thus becomes their boundless membrane, while the forest itself transforms into a building. Meadows and forest paths like squares and streets form new urban identity.

afforestation of city

City

A city is an interaction between solid and void, characterized by multiple layers of meaning. For a very long time, people were part of nature. By creating cities and architecture, we became part of our own invention, an artificial environment. The idea is to reintegrate nature into the city once again through the concept of the „forest city“ which would activate new dimensions of urbanity. The forest can function as a more inclusive vision of architecture that transcends rigid concepts of the city. The new urbanity of constant change would manifest itself through nature where indoor and outdoor distinctions are counterbalanced. The architecture of the “Forest city” defines the subtle spatial relations and creates the idea of a house designed according the laws of nature.

Forest city