Elevated bicycle route
Perhaps cyclists wondered in the past how it felt to glide through the leaves and branches of trees on their bikes. International design and innovation office Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA), Office for Living Architecture (OLA), and non-profit organization GAL Terre del Po holds the answer as the groups unveil ‘The Tree Path’, an elevated bicycle route It nestles between treesThe pillars are two parallel rows of plants.
Set in the Italian countryside, the project leads to Sabbioneta – one of the country’s best-known UNESCO World Heritage Sites – and explores sustainable mobility while blending the natural and the artificial. A platform can be used to walk or bike amongst the treetops. Sensors embedded in the greenery monitor environmental conditions and provide real-time information.
Images courtesy Carlo Ratti Associati
700-kilometer bike path
The tree route will link the VENTO Cycle Route – a 700-kilometer cycling path that runs parallel with the Po River in northern Italy – with Sabbioneta via Casalmaggiore. Sabbioneta is a small town near Mantua that was listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List 2008 for its practical implementation Renaissance urban planning theory.
‘Imagine if architecture could one day be grown like a tree. While we are far from that future, we can begin exploring the convergence of the artificial and natural. To gain a better understanding and construction of the environment around us, we can use trees as components of construction.’ comments Carlo RattiCRA founder partner, director of the Senseable City Lab, MIT.
Through the environment-conscious ‘The Tree Path’, people can cycle and walk among treetops
Botanic construction
CRA collaborated with OLA to design The Tree Path. This tree path uses a method called botanic construction, in which trees are part of architectural features. The project will include the planting of approximately 1,000 trees, and their growth will play a major role in the design process.
Over the years, the plants would build and modify the walkway structure, growing around a stainless steel railing. The Tree Path rises vertically from three floors. It reaches six metres above the ground, and avoids traffic and rivers.
Digital sensors will monitor a variety aspects of the environment along the trail, including air pollution, tree health, and tree development. They will also ensure that all living species along the trail can adapt to changing environmental conditions or structural pressures, bringing the “Internet of Trees” idea to life. The Mindicity Urban Intelligence platform provides artificial intelligence.
People can even walk among the treetops
The project’s envisioned landscape
Sunset cycling through The Tree Path
The project is being developed now
Information about the project
Name: The Tree Path
Designer: CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati
Client: GAL Terre del Po
Creative Lead: Italo Rota
Baubotanik consultant: OLA – Office for Living Architecture
Tech consultant: Mindicity S.r.l. S.B. – Urban Intelligence platform
CRA team: Carlo Ratti, Andrea Cassi (Partner in Charge), Alberto Benetti, Gizem Veral
Renderings by CRA Graphic Team: Gary di Silvio, Pasquale Milieri, Gianluca Zimbardi
Status: In progress
matthew burgos | designboom
apr. 05, 2022