Living architecture: Since ancient times, myths of natural architecture derived from growing trees have haunted European imagination. Here, they are made corporeal - Design Review - architect Marcel Kalberer designs structures from living trees - Brief Article

Architectural Review, The, Jan, 2002 by Esa Laaksonen

One of the slogans of contemporary architecture is ecological design and building based on sustainable development. A point of departure for these ideas is provided by Marcel Kalberer, Swiss-born architect working in Germany. The brushwood fence and pergola are among the concepts which take on new forms in Kalberer's work,

Kalberer has for more than ten years now been drawing on traditional Mesopotamian methods to develop a building technique typified by car ports, children's playhouses and larger structures for social evenings at village festivals, as in Auerstedt near Weimar. From his chosen construction material of three-to-five-year-old growing willows, he creates his own architecture by planting, interweaving and binding poles of up to about 7m in length. Kalberer works in nature on nature's own terms, observing her laws and forms of growth. The result brings to mind support structures for vaulted arches (for instance Gaudi's Sagrada Familia). But here, the solid surfaces of the vaulting are gradually bricked in' by the growing branches.

Rural building is familiar with the traditional brushwood or pole fence. Bush has through the ages been used in building cabins, and the builders undoubtedly made occasional use of growing trees. In Kalberer's model, the planned planting of annually managed and trimmed growing wood opens new vistas for traditional practices. Resulting structure is truly ecological, and final disposal of the building is simplicity itself: when it no longer pleases, it can easily be composted. The technique Kalberer has developed for his structures is very simple and easy to learn: a living willow cabin lends itself equally to use as car port or summer house or children's playhouse. Building a growing cabin is undoubtedly a lot of fun, and success is almost guaranteed. The result is an effective union of form and matter which lives with the seasons; the building grows in time and space.

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Architect Marcel Kalberer

Photographs Marcel Kalberer

Translation Brian Fleming

1 Growing.

2 Beginning.

3 Natural structures.