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Is There a Way We Can Grow Our Own Homes?

By Maria Saxton, Rise Writer
Last Updated: Mar 10, 2025

Imagine drawing from biology to grow your home that can repair itself and grow on its own. Yes, this is possible, and yes, it is happening. To keep up with innovative changes in the tech and building industries, the Fab Tree Hab is working on a radical concept to create a home from a tree.

Table of Contents

  1. The Concept 
  2. So, how does it work? 
  3. How much does it cost? 
  4. Guiding principles behind this concept 
Fab Tree Hab
Photo Credit: Fab Tree Hab

The Concept 

We here at Rise have talked about biophilic design in the past-- the process of integrating nature into the built environment. Fab Tree Hab is flipping this concept on its head and, instead, finding ways to integrate the built environment into nature.

The Fab Tree Hab team consists of two architects Mitchell Joachim and Javier Arbona, and an environmental engineer Lara Greden. Their idea is to create a single-family home that is as alive as its occupants. This two-level home would include three bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, and an open living space. The structure’s strength relies on the weaving or pleaching, of plants and tree branches. Pleaching is a relatively common practice that some have taken to new levels to create works of art, such as the works of world-renowned Patrick Dougherty.

This experiential home design considers the entire life cycle of the home by bridging the gap between biotechnology and nature. It has found ways to create a symbiotic relationship between the house and the surrounding environment.

The Fab Tree Hab design seeks to protect and embrace the ecosystem as a source of sustainability in the built environment.

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Article By

Maria Saxton

Located in Roanoke, Virginia, Maria Saxton holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Design and Planning from Virginia Tech. She works as an Environmental Planner and Housing Researcher for a local firm specializing in Community Planning, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Historic Preservation. Her dissertation explored the environmental impacts of small-scale homes. She serves as a volunteer board member for the Tiny Home Industry Association.

Maria Saxton