The focus of this thesis project is to explore the possibilities of combining digital and ecological design methodologies in an approach towards a solution to reduce the impacts of human caused climate changes. The building industry is one of the larger emitters of CO2 on a global scale; in the process from excavation of building materials to deconstruction of buildings, huge amounts of energy and chemicals are used.

The core values of ecological architecture and design is the understanding of the natural world we live in and why it is crucial to coexist on every level to eventually survive.

In this thesis, I hypothesize that by introducing a new fabrication system of building elements, where the concept of planting, growing, and harvesting facade elements is of primary focus, one possible solution to minimizing human negative impact on our climate is given.

By proposing a facade element fabricated with living plant material, embodied CO2 levels are drastically reduced and equally important, the fabrication process produces O2 - clean air.

The design and fabrication concept of the facade elements derives from the botanical principle of leaching, grafting, and shape-bending plants into a desired geometry. Through the physical phenomena of plant tissues fusing over time, the full grown facade elements become an integrated and durable system.

Tree shaping uses living trees and other plants as the medium to create structures and art. There are a different methods used to shape and manipulate trees, which share a common heritage with other horticultural and agricultural practices, such as pleaching, bonsai, espalier, and topiary.

Tree shaping has been practiced for at least several hundred years, as demonstrated by living root bridges constructed and maintained by ancient cultures around the world.

The qualities of the full grown facade system are not limited to absorbing and sequestering CO2 and emitting O2, the elements also provide controllable shading values, strong integrated joints, variable expression from season to season, and they offer intriguing aesthetic complexity with vegetation that can increase the well-being of human.

The hypothesis is being explored through research and investigations of every step of the novel building element; from digitally designing the geometry, simulating the embedded properties, planting the elements, digital manipulation and fabrication, to finally implementing the system in a building scale.