Trunk Poetry

Abstract: Trunk poetry is an investigation of a tree, its natural form shaped by its environment, how it can be disassembled and understood through different methods and tools, and how its parts can be reassembled to form structural elements based on the capacity of the natural forms. This research consists of three phases which are a combination of a historical perspective on identifying and harvesting construction timber, digital processing such as photogrammetry and physical experiments connected to the construction of structural elements. The focus has been on the natural capacity of the tree, identifying possible architectural or structural functions for its different parts, and from there experimenting on how they could be combined in a structure. Based on the references I have used, and my own research in this thesis, I strongly believe that photogrammetry could be a viable method to investigate a tree and test it digitally in an early stage. Instead of deforesting large areas at the same time, with small percentages being useful for construction of houses, it could give us a possibility to do tests on trees still standing in the forest.