At the 2021 eVolo Skyscraper Competition, the Ukrainian team of architects takes first place for their project Living Skyscraper.
The eVolo Skyscraper Competition grants architects from around the globe the opportunity to showcase their creativity and talent. Since 2006, teams submit futuristic designs of skyscrapers in hopes to change the relationship between artificial and natural environments.
The Ukrainian team decided that building a project from a pre-programmed tree was a constructive path towards eco-friendly architecture.
The Living Skyscraper “investigates the use of genetically modified trees to shape them into living skyscrapers that offer green habitable spaces to cities.”
As the tree absorbs water and nutrients, its circumference will grow to allow the wood structure to strengthen. It will be part of the natural environment sustaining on water, soil, and sun resources.
One of the team’s members, Andrii Lesyuk, notes the nature of his idea, drawing on his childhood experience to develop the project.
“I learned about this competition when I was still a student and have always dreamt of taking part and, of course, winning! At the end of 2020, we decided to participate and started looking for an idea. My father was inspired by our project. One day, he told me he’d watched an interesting documentary about the paulownia – a genus of angiosperm trees, and one of the fastest growing hardwood trees in the world. It can grow up to five meters per year… and as high as 30 meters! It’s also called the ‘aluminum of timber’, because it’s naturally resistant to fire, salt water, termites, decay and rot! I began thinking that if could accelerate the growth of these trees, they could reach an even greater height and we could mold them into any shape. With the help of special guideway systems, we can even grow a skyscraper.”
He later adds that they can build the structure in 15 years:
“Of course, this idea looks pretty abstract today. But it’s really quite realistic for the near future. Just imagine that scientists can invent a tree that will grow not five times faster than a paulownia, but 30-40 times faster! Then you can grow an entire building in 15 years, a structure that doesn’t require any building materials, and is nurtured solely by fertilizers and water.
So, we must first plant a tree, and as soon as it starts growing, we shape the body of the tree, mold the smaller branches into rooms, walls, etc. The smaller branches create the inner space. We actually program the tree and ‘tell’ it how to grow,”
While the idea remains theoretical, the international jury distinguished the project for its unique concept. Ultimately, from the 492 submissions received, the annual award went to Living Skyscraper.
Out of all the submissions received, the jury from eVolo settled on the Ukrainian team, landing Mexico in second and China in third place.
