Projects




2024
DESIGNING (WITH) TREES
Active Agents in Architectural Production


Cambridge, MA • MIT Architecture
Thesis Advisor: Mohamad Nahleh
Readers: Rania Ghosn and Roi Salgueiro Barrio






This thesis embarks on a multifaceted exploration of the relationship between urban trees, architectural representation, and the legal framework governing their existence, with a particular focus on tree hearings in Boston as a platform for this study. Against the backdrop of capitalist influences shaping urban landscapes, standardized modes of representation often prioritize economic interests, relegating urban trees to two-dimensional depictions in architectural drawings. Such representations obscure the rich complexity and ecological significance of trees, thereby shaping design choices that threaten their vitality.

Amidst these challenges, Massachusetts has initiated efforts towards granting public trees legal recognition, providing a foundation upon which this study builds on to advocate for further improvements in tree rights and protections. This encompasses tree hearings, where developers and residents seek permission for the removal of healthy public trees, involving municipal authorities, tree wardens, and local communities. Through extensive dialogue with experts and stakeholders dedicated to this cause, the thesis employs alternate representations of trees that encourage new ways of valuing their role within architectural thinking and production.



The exploration examines how a more nuanced collaboration with trees in design processes can enhance the value of architecture, and how design can in turn contribute to the protection of trees. Ultimately, the goal is to enrich tree hearing conversations by recognizing them as reflections of a larger climate conversation around trees and nature. By intervening in their legal site and imagination, the thesis fosters a more inclusive dialogue that transcends the binary decision of whether to cut down a tree or not.




fig.1 SITE: An alternative lens through which we study the site offers a departure from traditional architectural conventions that focus on the accurate representation of buildings. Instead, the analysis acknowledges the reciprocal relationship between built structures and the adjacent natural environment. Boundaries are outlined both above and below ground to delineate zones where construction should be avoided to safeguard the trees. Critical root zone, tree protection zone, canopy, and root width are identified and respected to ensure tree preservation. Projections into the future are integrated to account for the growth and maturity of younger trees, ensuring comprehensive protection.
fig.2 SPECIES: The tree species drawing goes beyond merely categorizing species based on trunk diameter, as outlined in the Tree Shade Law in Massachusetts, which defines the scope of fines for felling trees. Instead, it delves into the complexities and nuances that define each species. Trees are portrayed not as obedient subjects but as complex entities with their own rhythms and behaviors. Here, the Pear Callery tree exemplifies these contradictions. While its springtime blooms captivate with their beauty, they also emit a pungent odor designed to attract pollinators. Despite its role in mitigating heat equivalent to two air conditioning units, the Pear Callery tree is also revealed as an invasive species, potentially disrupting native ecosystems. Capturing this complexity is crucial in transcending the simplistic binaries of “good” or “bad” trees, “healthy” or “unhealthy” trees, or trees deemed worthy of protection or not.
fig.3 SPECIES: The exploration offers a comprehensive understanding of the complexities surrounding the growth of the trees on-site. Natural and built environments have now merged into one, showcasing trees influenced and distorted by the fusion of manmade structures and natural elements within the urban landscape. Through this temporal lens, viewers witness the gradual evolution of trees and their responses to diverse urban pressures. Factors such as nearby buildings, constrained root space, limited sunlight, artificial lighting, pedestrian and vehicular traffic, and thermal conditions have shaped and altered the trees over time. The study also zooms in on microdata like onsite temperature and humidity.
fig.4 Evolution of human relationships to trees through shifting technologies, legal frameworks, and forest imaginaries from the Paleolithic to the digital era.
fig.5 Urban Trees in MA: A Manual for Design Collaboration: Existing and proposed laws are collected and drawn, where regulatory language becomes spatial form.
fig.6 Curated archive of representations fof trees: The archive booklet is a curated collection of Western depictions of trees across various disciplines, tracing their evolution over time. It examines the representation of trees, often perceived as driven by personal aesthetics, as intricately entwined with cultural, socioeconomic, and political forces that have long shaped our perception of nature.
fig.7 Transcript of Tree Removal Hearing: participants from MIT engaged in an activity that involved a scenario: a deliberation to decide the fate of a 318-year-old urban tree dangerously leaning towards the owner’s property. The discussion rejected oversimplified or one-dimensional perspectives, recognizing the complexity of the tree’s contributions and inconviences.


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