Are living treehouse skyscrapers the future?

Many of us grew up wishing we could build our own fantasy tree houses. This year’s eVolo competition winner could soon make that a reality with these wild ‘treehouse skyscraper’ designs.

What do you first think of when someone mentions a ‘treehouse skyscraper’? While it might initially conjure up images of giant beanstalks, the concept could soon be a very real feature of our most famous skylines.

Ukranian-based design team Guess Line Architects are behind these winning concept pictures, which show off skyscrapers grown from actual trees. The team beat nearly 500 other submissions to take first prize. Our primate ancestors would be proud.

It’s all part of the prestigious eVolo Skyscraper Competition awards, which encourage designers to rethink architecture’s relationship with nature.

Given our eco-conscious age, participants are asked to consider the dichotomy between man-made construction and our environment, bringing them together to re-define what our cities can be.

This year’s winning entry, the ‘Living Skyscraper’, pushes this concept to its absolute limits.

The skeleton of the structure is grown from genetically modified, fast growing, hardwood deciduous trees, planted in specially prepared soil. This means that at a biological level, the trees are programmed to grow in a particular way.

This all sounds very sci-fi, but pre-programmed trees have already been used to grow wooden tables, chairs, and even bridges.