The Indian state of Meghalaya, these natural root bridges are a common site.
The local people worked out how to coax loose ficus tree roots protruding from river banks to grow together into a single solid mass sturdy enough to hold 30 people crossing together.
(π·: Giulio Di Sturco, NatGeo)
The process can take 15-20 years to completion, can be done with or without a scaffolding to support the growing roots, and uses a process called "inosculation", where cut roots are grafted onto each other & join into a single shared structure at the cell level.
(π·: Elbowmacaroni, Wikimedia)
Unlike a conventional bridge, living root bridges grow stronger over time, barring disease/stressors in the joined trees, and can last for centuries.
Similar living structure can be adapted to stairs up steep inclines, ladder structures for climbing. Living architecture for vertical landscapes!
Ever since I first saw The Fellowship Of The Ring when it came out, I've been enamored with the idea of living architecture. I'm very happy to know that it's real!
