SlashGear

It has always fascinated me that some people actually live in tree houses. Not the kind that you built as a kid, but full homes up in trees. Well this design is a tree house but it’s sort of under the tree as opposed to being up in its branches.

While at MIT, Mitchell Joachim developed the home with the help of a few colleagues. Unfortunately this is still technically a concept design; he is actively trying to make it more than that. It is a low impact home that grows over time. Constructed by trees, he is currently experimenting with Israeli trees since they grown much faster and their roots are better for the design. For the windows he is experimenting with a soy based product that in theory would expand with the home.

The nonprofit organization Terreform is helping to develop the project. The inside walls would be clay and plaster. It would start out with plywood to keep the structure strong, however, once the roots are fully intact they take the plywood down and recycle it elsewhere. Although it hasn’t made its first sale yet, Terreform says it’s close.

Tree house living, the next green thing? [via crave]