From biotech architecture to resilient cities

Mitchell Joachim, NYU; Terreform ONE

Anti-Extinction Library

Bringing back various animals at the brink of extinction is vital. Designed to delight and educate local citizens, the egg-shaped Anti-Extinction Library we are building for the TED Countdown event contains frozen embryos of threatened local species. Cryogenic vaults will be contained within a symbolic “egg” form that deconstructs over time. These vaults are encased within fertile soil embedded with seeds that are designed to disintegrate onsite to create a flourishing habitat for the future embryos. Each species admitted to the library is imprinted with a genetic marker containing the "Nature Bill of Rights" modified from the UN documents on human rights. These encoded markers support a narrative that all species are equal and all are necessary to a healthy planet.

The Anti-Extinction Library – a permanent shelter for the embryonic cells and DNA of rare lifeforms. The work is part of a global art action: ten public artworks, аll launching today around the world, in support of Countdown – TED’s global initiative to champion and accelerate solutions to the climate crisis.

Three TED Fellows have teamed up to create The Anti-Extinction Library, an installation that permanently shelters the embryonic cells and DNA of rare lifeforms, designed to delight and educate local citizens.

Mitchell Joachim, Chris Woebken, and Oliver Medvedik at New Lab, with Terreform ONE note that species biodiversity is vanishing at an alarming rate.

Much of this devastation is because of adverse activities linked to climate change and habitat loss. The artists reverse this problem by creating a space that safeguards these organisms at their earliest and most fundamental state.

The local bank has the added benefit of community engagement. The Anti-Extinction Library allows anyone to submit suggestions of local species to save. Curated by institutional members nearby, a consensus can be reached on all new additions.

Credits: Terreform ONE, Mitchell Joachim, Vivian Kuan, Lisa Wood Richardson, Nina Anker, Mamoun Nukumanu, Connor Lambrecht, Carlos Cardenas, Vivian Jiang, Robin Stiefel, Sam Anderson, Dylan Pero, Adam Jonah, Adam Fried.
Project Architects: Sky Achitoff, Iyad Abou Gaida.
TED Fellows: Mitchell Joachim, Chirs Woebken, Oliver Medvedik.

Learn more about the project in the video below.

Home Alive

A home made from grafted living woody plants and old growth trees. This home concept is intended to replace the outdated design solutions at Habitat for Humanity. We propose a method to grow homes from native trees. A living structure is grafted into shape with prefabricated Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) reusable scaffolds.

Therefore, we enable dwellings to be fully integrated into an ecological community.

A methodology new to buildings yet ancient to gardening is introduced in this design - pleaching. Pleaching is a method of weaving together tree branches to form living archways, lattices, or screens. The trunks of inosculate, or self-grafting, trees, such as Elm, Live Oak, and Dogwood, are the load­bearing structure, and the branches form a continuous lattice frame for the walls and roof. Weaved along the exterior is a dense protective layer of vines, interspersed with soil pockets and growing plants. Prefab scaffolds cut from 3D computer files control the plant growth in the early stages. On the interior, a clay and straw composite insulates and blocks moisture, and a final layer of smooth clay is applied like a plaster to dually provide comfort and aesthetics.

Existing homes built with cob (clay & straw composite) demonstrate the feasibility, longevity, and livability of the material as a construction material. In essence, the tree trunks of this design provide the structure for an extruded ecosystem, whose growth is embraced over time. The seasonal cycles help the tree structure provide for itself through composting of fallen leaves in autumn. Seedlings started in such a nutrient rich bed may provide the affordable building blocks for a new home typology, firmly rooted to place. Likewise, realization of living structures would introduce forest renewal to an urban setting. Building of these homes occurs throughout a longer time period, yet the benefits are enjoyed as long as the tree live, after which another wave of renewal begins.