Wow, how cool are these bridges, "grown" by training roots to grow into the shapes you want for your structure.
In the depths of northeastern India, in one of the wettest places on earth, bridges aren't built - they're grown.
The living bridges of Cherrapunji, India are made from the roots of the Ficus elastica tree. This tree produces a series of secondary roots from higher up its trunk and can comfortably perch atop huge boulders along the riverbanks, or even in the middle of the rivers themselves.
This is incredible - to think these are living bridges but have been constructed by humans.. I want to create something similar in my backyard on a smaller scale. I am going to build a shed in my backyard and create a living bridge as a feature..
We had a banyan tree in the back yard as a kid in the 1960's in Naples, Florida. We wove treehouses and ladders with the air roots. At Thomas Edison's Winter home in Ft. Myers, there is a huge banyan tree. Back in the day, the tour guides would mention the cities woven into trees in India. Thus my inspiration to build a treehouse of living roots.
Void your warranty, violate a user agreement, fry a circuit, blow a fuse, poke an eye out. Make: The risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things... Welcome to Make: Online!
More contributors: Mark Frauenfelder (Editor-in-Chief, MAKE magazine), Kipp Bradford (Technical Consultant/Writer), Chris Connors (Education), Diana Eng (Guest Author), Peter Horvath (Intern), Brian Jepson (O'Reilly Media), Robert Bruce Thompson (Science Room)
Behind the Scenes at MAKE and CRAFT
In January, many of the remote MAKE/CRAFT team members (myself included) convened at the Maker Media headquarters at O'Reilly Media in Sebastopol, California. Take a look behind the scenes of your favorite DIY publications as Goli Mohammadi gives us...
More...
Sign up for the Make: Newsletter
Our Make: Newsletter covers news from maker Media, has original columns, Shed deals, and more! You can also read the archives of past issues.
This is incredible - to think these are living bridges but have been constructed by humans.. I want to create something similar in my backyard on a smaller scale. I am going to build a shed in my backyard and create a living bridge as a feature..
Reply to this comment
We had a banyan tree in the back yard as a kid in the 1960's in Naples, Florida. We wove treehouses and ladders with the air roots. At Thomas Edison's Winter home in Ft. Myers, there is a huge banyan tree. Back in the day, the tour guides would mention the cities woven into trees in India. Thus my inspiration to build a treehouse of living roots.
Reply to this comment
Wow!! These are so stunning, otherworldly, and inspirational!
Reply to this comment