Building with trees: how to rethink cities | Julia Schön | TEDxHM

Quick Overview

Julia Schön advocates for integrating living architecture, specifically trees, into urban planning to counteract negative climate change impacts such as rising temperatures and increased emissions caused by the real estate industry, citing examples like the Living Root Bridges in Meghalaya, India, and the Baubotanik Tower in Germany.

Key Points: The real estate industry contributes significantly to climate change by producing 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions and increasing urban temperatures (Urban Heat Island effect). Trees act as natural climate engineers: they absorb CO2 and cool surrounding areas by up to 10 degrees Celsius, offsetting the negative effects of conventional buildings. Living Root Bridges built by the Khasi people in Meghalaya, India, demonstrate centuries-old, adaptive structures that bend with elements and survive heavy monsoons. The Baubotanik Tower in Waldruhe, Germany, exemplifies modern 'Living Architecture' by using living birch trees to carry a structure, showing that plants can support functional architecture. Integrating trees into urban spaces—like on balconies or in meadows—offers benefits for the planet, physical health (reduced cardiovascular/metabolic diseases), and mental health. The speaker urges the audience to demand greener, more climate-adaptive buildings and to start implementing these changes locally, noting that nature is often the last consideration in development.

Context: Julia Schön presents at a TEDxHM event themed "Learning for a Responsible Life!" Her talk focuses on the intersection of architecture, urban density, and climate change, introducing the concept of 'Baubotanik' or Living Architecture as a necessary solution. She contrasts the negative impact of conventional construction—which is responsible for 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions and creates urban heat islands—with the restorative power of integrating living plant structures into the built environment.

Detailed Analysis

Julia Schön argues that the current state of urban living, dominated by concrete, glass, and heat-trapping buildings, is unsustainable and contributes significantly to climate change, specifically pointing out that the real estate industry produces 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions and exacerbates the Urban Heat Island effect, leading to temperatures up to 10 degrees warmer in cities than in non-urban areas. She contrasts this with the positive effects of trees, which absorb CO2 and cool surroundings, citing the 22-ton CO2 absorption capacity of a single tree over its lifetime. Schön introduces 'Baubotanik' (Living Architecture) as a solution, drawing inspiration from the Living Root Bridges built by the Khasi people in Meghalaya, India, which are adaptive structures that survive monsoons. She also shows the Baubotanik Tower in Germany, a structure built from living birch trees that support weight and adapt to the environment. The presentation emphasizes that living architecture benefits not only the planet by reducing emissions and cooling cities but also human well-being, improving cardiovascular, metabolic, and mental health. Schön concludes by challenging the audience to demand more climate-adaptive buildings and to start implementing these changes locally, stressing that nature is often the last consideration in urban development.