Danish architecture studio EFFEKT has planted hundreds of pine seedlings around seven architectural models at the Venice Architecture Biennale using a hydroponics system that's remote-controlled from Copenhagen.
EFFEKT Showcases Different Ideas For Living Together
Titled "Ego to Eco", EFFEKT's installation at the Arsenale showcases different ideas for living and building, for producing, consuming, and revitalizing the ecosystem we are part of and depend upon, addressing the overarching question “How will we live together?” posed by the curator Hashim Sarkis. The seven models designed by architecture studio EFFEKT represent different research projects that the studio feels answers this theme. 
Trees That Grow in a Hydroponic Growing System
For the exhibition, the studio planted 1,200 one-year-old trees, namely Scots Pine (Pinus Sylvestris), Norway Spruce (Picea Abies), Sitka Spruce (Pinus Sitchensisa), and Hybrid Larch (Larix Eurolepis). The young trees sit in a hydroponic growing system that circulates water and nutrients around their roots, allowing them to grow without the use of soil. The excess water drains into a tank below the system that holds the seedlings, called a grow table. 
EFFEKT Monitors Their Project in Real Life
From their office in Copenhagen, studio EFFEKT is able to monitor the system in real life, through the use of sensors that monitor the pressure, temperature, and humidity. The 1200 tree seedlings you see in this installation were pre-grown from seed at a forest nursery. After six months of growing in the exhibition hall at the Venice Architecture Biennale, they will take the seedlings back to Denmark and plant them as a part of an urban reforestation project. The estimate is that these young trees will be able to absorb 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide over the next 50 years.
"The Growtable showcases different ideas for living and building, for producing, consuming, and revitalizing the ecosystems we are part of and depend upon."
More Information About the Ego to Eco Project
Ego to Eco will be on display in Corderie dell´Arsenale as part of the Venice Architecture Biennale, which takes place from 22 May to 21 November 2021. For more information, visit EFFEKT's website or watch the video about this project on Vimeo. (Photography by Rasmus Hjortshøj, information via DeZeen)
