Whole Trees

"… A whole, unmilled tree can support 50 percent more weight than the largest piece of lumber milled from the same tree," reports Anne Raver in the New York Times (11/5/09). That’s according to research by the Forest Products Laboratory, and it is the organizing principle of Whole Trees Architecture and Construction, which uses whole, small-diameter trees — those too small to mill — to build homes, commercial buildings as well as greenhouses. "Curves are stronger than straight lines," says Roald Gundersen, who runs Whole Trees with his "life and business partner," Amelia Baxter.

"A single arch supporting a roof can laterally brace the building in all directions," says Roald. It’s also both cost-efficient and environmentally-friendly, he continues: "It’s eminently more frugal and sustainable than milling trees … These are weed trees, so when you take them out, you improve the forest stand and get a building out of it. You haven’t stripped an entire hillside out west to build it, or used a lot of oil to transport the lumber." The designs are pretty cool-looking, too (images). Typically Roald uses "small-diameter trees as rafters and framing … and big trees felled by wind, disease or insects as powerful columns and curving beams."

"It almost feels like we’re in a forest, the trees have such presence," says Marcia Halligan, a client. Roald’s designs are also passive-solar, with "double-paned glass, positioned to optimize the low-angle winter light," facing south. The concept is especially useful for Roald’s solar greenhouses, which "can extend the growing season through the winter, even in a place where temperatures can drop 30 or 40 below." Cost to build a home is "as low as $100 a square foot," and Roald says demand is growing, especially for smaller homes. "I’ve taken 20 trees per year off one acre, for 12 buildings," says Roald. "You can never tell that we’ve taken that much wood."