RETREET BLOG

RETREET redefines disaster relief by engaging communities to replant lost trees.


 
SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.107

It's well known that counting the rings of a tree reveals its age. Each ring represents a year, a 12-month growth cycle starting with a boom in the spring and ending in winter dormancy. Hidden within the rings is every iteration of the tree, including the original sapling. Italian artist Guiseppe Penone carves out the young tree from its final form. This is something amazing to see!

CARVING OUT SAPLINGS (photo essay)

CARVING OUT SAPLINGS (photo essay)

Why cut down a tree to build a home when you can build a tubular glass structure encapsulating it? If and when this idea becomes a reality, sign RETREET up for a tour. Perhaps our future HQ?

BUILDING AROUND A TREE (photo album)

BUILDING AROUND A TREE (photo album)

Taking the previous concept to the next level is this vertical eco-village. A design that creates more energy than it consumes and is entirely sustainable, this concept is an engineering marvel. Watch a short video and be dazzled. Hopefully, this will be a major element of cities to come.

INCREDIBLE VERTICAL ECO-VILLAGE (video)

INCREDIBLE VERTICAL ECO-VILLAGE (video)

 


 
SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.83

This week, we bring you a rather international smattering of fascinating projects. First up, South Korean artist Young Deok-Seo spends months welding and forming discarded bicycle chains into striking sculptures of the human form. Truly, this is powerful repurposing.

BIKE CHAIN SCULPTURES (photos)

BIKE CHAIN SCULPTURES (photos)

Second, Vietnamese architect Vo Trong Nghia designed three 22-story buildings in Ho Chi Minh City that each have a giant roof garden. The roofs are all connected by suspension bridges, making the completed structure a giant linear garden in the sky. Now that's what we call green architecture!

DEVELOPMENT WITH CONNECTED ROOF GARDEN (photos)

DEVELOPMENT WITH CONNECTED ROOF GARDEN (photos)

Finally, Donhou Bicycles, a London-based company, set off to construct a bicycle with a chain ring big enough to achieve pedaling speed of 80mph. Theirs is a great story of determination and innovation.

THE 80MPH BICYCLE (video)

THE 80MPH BICYCLE (video)