In the words of Terreform ONE: “New York City is disposing of 38,000 tons of waste per day. Most of this discarded material ended up in Fresh Kills landfill before it closed. The Rapid Re(f)use project supposes an extended New York reconstituted from its own landfill material. Our concept remakes the city by utilizing the trash at Fresh Kills. With our method, we can remake seven entirely new Manhattan islands at full scale. Automated robot 3d printers are modified to process trash and complete this task within decades. These robots are based on existing techniques commonly found in industrial waste compaction devices. Instead of machines that crush objects into cubes, these devices have jaws that make simple shape grammars for assembly. Different materials serve specified purposes; plastic for fenestration, organic compounds for temporary scaffolds, metals for primary structures, and etc.  Eventually, the future city makes no distinction between waste and supply.”

Zoom into the image to see an array of robots that would be used to transform waste into buildings.

What is the motivation behind creating this urban design concept? The project serves two functions. First, it suggests the possibility of converting waste into a resource through upcycling and thoughtful engineering. This is a characteristic of a closed system, which is the type of system we must adopt as our natural resources dwindle. Second, the design highlights the magnitude of the waste stream itself, a stark reminder of the need to rethink our approach to production and consumption.

In this project, Terreform ONE combines modern technology with an ancient technique called pleaching, in which branches from different trees or shrubs are grafted and intertwined to create natural structures. The result is a home created from a living tree. In the words of Terreform ONE: “Our dwelling is composed with 100% living nutrients. Here traditional anthropocentric doctrines are overturned and human life is subsumed within the terrestrial environs. Home, in this sense, becomes indistinct and fits itself symbiotically into the surrounding ecosystem. This home concept is intended to replace the outdated design solutions at Habitat for Humanity.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.” Learn more about the Fab Tree Hab project, as well as Terreform ONE’s efforts to grow structures from animal cells, in thisTED talk by Mitchell Joachim. Terreform ONE has also been researching the use of mycelium mushrooms for architectural and industrial design applications, as described in thisshort video. One benefit of these organic approaches to architecture and industrial design is that the resulting waste streams are compostable.

In this project, Terreform ONE presents a vision for the Brooklyn Navy Yards. In the words of Terreform ONE: “On an urban industrial site in Brooklyn, New York, Super Docking imagines a self-sustained working waterfront as a center for clean industries that are incubators for new technologies. The designed landscape is adapted to local climate dynamics and is outfitted for a living infrastructure to seamlessly connect land and water. The project interfaces the historic dry-docks, which are retrofitted into five distinct research and production facilities; massive 3D digital prototyping/ scanning, replicable test beds for studies in limnology and restorative ecology, freight delivery of raw materials and finished goods, automated shipbuilding, and phytoremediation barges for CSO (Combined Sewer Overflow) issues. The surface of the site mitigates architectural space and river flows.  It supports programs to clean polluted water and sets the terrain for privileging pedestrian movement throughout the site. The project docks are highlighted by shapeable deployable structures and membranes. It is an industrial ecology landscape established to manage both manmade and natural systems, with reinforced land use needs. The current urgency to aggregate areas for innovation with social and economic diversity is in demand. Our project encourages research, both as an industrial activity and as an ecological intervention.  We wish to promote new products, jobs, green office spaces, and areas of exchange.” 

Learn more about Terreform ONE’s vision for the future of our cities in thisexcerpt from a TED talk by Mitchell Joachim.

The work of Mitchell Joachim and Terreform ONE envisions a world in which architecture and products are grown from living organisms, waste streams become the building blocks of our cities, and urban centers become self-sufficient ecosystems that support a diversity of life. If you are inspired by their work, you can take action in your own life. Select one or more pledges listed below and spread the word. You can also learn more by visiting our Pledge Center. Let’s #EndOvershoot and save our #OneEarth.