Draft Thesis

The Redwood Forest is a highly complex and wonderful Ecosystem located in a narrow coastal band, from Big Sur to Oregon, along the NE Pacific rim. Biogeographical, physiological, and paleoecological evidence suggests that the coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) growth is closely associated with the  ecosystem along the Pacific coast of California and its anatomical structure. This one of a kind condition gives way to grow the tallest individual tree in the world. The tallest redwood, which stands at 379 feet tall, is taller than a 30-story building. These California coastal redwoods can grow more than 320 feet high with trunk bases more than 24 feet in diameter and can live for more than 2,000 years and can sequester more carbon per hectare than any other forest on Earth.

With finite resources (i.e. water and energy) becoming so scarce and valuable, it is in my interest to find ways (like the Redwood) to harness these resources in an effective manner to help sustain a building. In particular, I will look at the anatomical structures of the redwoods to see how resources flow and are distributed within the body to help feed a larger whole. In addition, the root system of one Redwood is part of a larger community of root systems that work in collaboration with each other to form a strong and structurally sound foundation.

Implementing into a building the myriad of systems the Redwood has is a challenge I have set and I will continue to develop and refine these to fit adequately into an Ecodistrict endeavour this year.