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Fruzsi Karig — Life in the Making

Life in the Making — A tower grown from a forest, built by its people. By Fruzsi Karig.

 

Location

‘Aggregate Island’, South of the Olympic Park in Stratford

 

Objective

This self-built timber residential tower aims to inspire an alternative way of urban living, providing autonomy to those seeking a say in their environments.

 

Motivation

The increasing density required from urban residential developments is creating high-quantity, low-quality living conditions. With home ownership decreasing, those with lower incomes currently lack a substantial say in how their environment is shaped.

 

Strategy

The project begins with planting a forest. The wood provides the housing’s primary construction material, while the construction process initiates community-building among residents. By providing a large workshop, a generous series of inhabitable levels, and a wide range of communal spaces, the building comes to life – transforming alongside its inhabitants and forming a regenerative lifecycle.

 

Impact

The combination of high rise timber construction and elements of self-built design is a first of its kind worldwide. This model of residential design aims to inspire far reaching development of sustainable architectural and societal practices.

 

This is a home like none that came before it, but the first of many that guided us to the bright future of today. This is the story of Life in the Making.
Beyond the trees, the large clearing is suddenly bursting with life, with people rushing up and down the building, lights coming on in the houses, and trees piling up by the workshop. Meanwhile the crane is performing its daily dance to assist those that embrace building as a way of life.
The building is perpetually in motion. The way that the houses are constantly changing and renewing themselves means healing for our planet, our city, and our minds. The ancient carbon remains in the ground even as our homes reach into the sky.

 

Further Work

Design Think Tank — Emerging Tools – LEA Farm

Critical Practice — Making Connections

Design History — Shaping a City

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