through the environment-conscious ‘the tree path’, people can cycle and walk among treetops

Elevated bicycle route

Cyclists may have wondered in the past what it would feel like to breeze through among the tree branches and leaves on their bicycles. 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 that nestles between trees and rests on two parallel rows of plants that act as pillars.

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. People can walk or cycle on a lifted platform amidst treetops, while sensors embedded within the greenery track environmental conditions in real-time.

Images courtesy of Carlo Ratti Associati

700-kilometer bicycle path

The tree route will link the VENTO Cycle Route, a 700-kilometer bicycle path that runs parallel to the Po River in northern Italy, with Sabbioneta through Casalmaggiore. Sabbioneta, located near the city of Mantua, appeared on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2008 for its practical implementation of Renaissance urban planning theory.

‘What if one day we could grow architecture like a tree? We are still very far from that future, but we can start exploring the convergence between the natural and the artificial. We can use trees as elements of construction while leveraging the data from digital technologies to get a better understanding of the surrounding environment,’ comments Carlo Ratti, founding partner at CRA, and director of the Senseable City Lab at MIT.

Through the environment-conscious ‘The Tree Path’, people can cycle and walk among treetops

Botanic construction

In partnership with OLA, CRA designed The Tree Path, which uses a method known as botanic construction in which trees form part of architectural features. Approximately 1,000 trees will be planted as part of the project, and their growth will be a key component of the design process.

Over the course of several years, the plants would grow around a stainless steel railing, constructing and altering the walkway structure. The Tree Path rises vertically on three floors, reaching a height of six meters above the ground and avoiding traffic and rivers.

Digital sensors throughout the trail will track a variety of aspects of the environment, from air pollution to the health and development of individual trees. 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 project will use the artificial intelligence system provided by the Mindicity Urban Intelligence platform.

People can walk among the treetops