From CK Nayak
NEW DELHI, Oct 2: If you are constructing a house in a forested area, you may not have to make its staircases anymore. Rather, you can grow one yourself like the world-famous living root bridges of Meghalaya!
The North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) has built a special 10-foot-tall pavilion featuring steps that will grow on their own in a natural way. These staircases are tightly woven roots of the Ficus elastica tree (Indian rubber plant), thereby modelling a concept which could help mitigate the impact of climate change by reducing use of bricks, rods and cement.
The living root bridges are a fascinating, regenerative form of bioengineering in which man and nature join together in synchronization to connect places across difficult terrain. Such natural bridges were traditionally built by the Khasi and Jaintia tribes to connect villages across difficult rivers, ravines and gorges.
This form of construction neither uses engineering tools nor any artificial material. This traditional knowledge is passed through word-of-mouth from one generation to the next for carrying on day-to-day life in remote tribal areas where means of transport is minimal.
But decades later, these wonderful root bridges have become iconic tourist places drawing thousands of visitors to the manmade natural wonder. In the process the root bridges have also become a source of livelihood through tourism.
Traditionally, the making of a root bridge first involves planting a Ficus sapling on the bank of a river on or both sides. Once it reaches maturity, the tree’s aerial roots are guided to the other side of the river through the hollowed-out trunk of a betel nut tree, with the support of a bamboo framework.
When the roots reach the other end, they are planted in the soil. As these roots thicken, they produce daughter roots that are similarly trained across the bamboo framework. As these roots continue to grow, people intertwine the roots to initiate inosculation, thereby producing a dense framework.
The same method has been adopted for making the “living” staircase in NEHU with German collaboration. Saplings of the Ficus trees were planted last year by the Living Bridge Foundation, an NGO that works to conserve the art of making root bridges.
According to the foundation, it will take around 25 years for the stairway to be fully mature for use. Once fully grown, the staircase will be similar to a living root bridge.
Meanwhile, the roots will be pruned and guided to go in certain direction to make the step. Once completed in 2047, one will be able to climb the steps of the pavilion to oversee the nearby lake.
The pavilion has been designed by researchers from the University of Munich, Germany who have studied the root bridges extensively.
Ferdinand Ludwig, professor of Green Technologies in Landscape Architecture and Thomas Speck, professor of Botany at the University of Freiburg, analysed 74 root bridges to understand their complex natural structure.
Thousands of photographs were taken on the basis of which 3D models were created. Ludwig conceptualized a new field of research centred on this approach called Baubotank, which uses living trees as construction material.
At a later stage this unique know how will be passed for modern green architecture. Once completed, the project will help living architecture in an urban setting.
This will help in making cities greener, cooler and more livable. Stone or bricks, concrete and iron get warmer at high ambient temperatures. But these natural staircases will absorb the heat stress which is rising in the cities.
Plants provide cooling and improve cooling in cities which have now become concrete jungle. Incidentally, similar living root staircase project has been undertaken by Ludwig in Germany.
But this is the first such collaborative effort that has seen undertaken in India.