Living root bridges

Craft & Design Energy & Sustainability
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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.

Living Root Bridges [Via Miekal And’s FB page]

More:
Houses woven out of trees

6 thoughts on “Living root bridges

  1. build a shed man says:

    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..

  2. Anonymous says:

    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.

  3. Goli Mohammadi says:

    Wow!! These are so stunning, otherworldly, and inspirational!

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Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

View more articles by Gareth Branwyn

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