Foundation supports Living Architecture educational project

The Ove Arup Foundation will be supporting the Design and Analysis for Living Architecture at the Technical University of Munich. This project will establish design tools for living architecture design through work with students from a range of academic fields.

Based on 15 years of research into living architectural construction techniques, collaborations with artists and architects and recent projects investigating the Living Root Bridges, this interdisciplinary project will make diverse analyses of living architecture and the integration of such analyses into design processes.

It has three core aims, bringing together the many aspects of structural engineering and architectural design present in living architecture. First, it will establish a unique method for mechanical analyses of living architecture through application of a topological extraction method. Secondly, it aims to integrate these documentation and analysis tools in a design framework. Finally, these will be developed through student participation, engaging students from a range of fields to establish practical methods and a smooth design and planning workflow.

The project will result in high-quality research output, public exposure for living architecture, impactful education for students, and toolsets to be used in architecture projects elsewhere.

Students from diverse backgrounds will learn interdisciplinary skills and techniques, and will be given access to tools for manipulating plant growth in architectural design, as well as taking part in their further development through a pavilion design studio. Students will understand the relationship between design and horticulture, working virtually and in the growing environment.