Creative Synthesis

Roald Gundersen’s Whole Tree Architecture incorporates unmilled trees into design and construction, creating buildings that balance an organic sense of style with a unique approach to preservation and sustainable development.  Gundersen uses local trees to provide both structural and visual elements.  As shown in an article on one of Gundersen’s projects in the November/December 2007 issue of Natural Home and a collection of interactive panoramic photos on his website, the inclusion of whole trees gives rooms an abstract yet rustic appearance, turning homes into a sort of usable organic folk art.  Individual rooms have a sense of fluidity; structures as a whole appear more connected to the landscape.

The process avoids some of the problems of traditional tree farming.  Gundersen essentially promotes a style of sustainable forestry by selecting damaged trees, invasive species, and young trees.  He also includes other natural building techniques, such as straw bale construction and passive solar lighting, whenever possible. 

Beyond its aesthetic and environmental appeal, Whole Tree Architecture subtly shifts the economics of construction.  Because Gundersen’s projects rely on locally harvested trees and other materials, transportation and handling costs are minimized–lowering overall expenses.  Since local workers harvest and prepare trees in addition to constructing the buildings, more of the money from each project is returned to the community.  Gundersen estimates that materials per se make up about 50 percent of the cost of an average home construction, and that his approach to architecture and design reduces this amount to about 25 percent.  Given the reliance on local goods, the sense of craftsmanship, and the recirculation of money in the community, Gundersen feels that Whole Tree Architecture is comparable to the slow food movement.