Tree Story

Author

Jia HuFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-31-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA)

Department

Landscape Architecture

First Advisor

Johanna Barthmaier-Payne

Second Advisor

Tom Weis

Third Advisor

Wolfgang Rudorf

RISD Fleet Library Catalog Record

Tree Story

Abstract

What is Nature?

Nature is a system of intelligence. It means designing for efficiency—often by learning from strategies that have evolved over time. In my research, I use patterns to interpret and decode nature.

To explore nature, I began with the red cedar tree, aiming to simulate and predict its growth patterns—forms shaped by both internal biology and external forces. By analyzing its geometry, I sought to understand how trees embody the dynamic relationship between organism and environment. These patterns reveal the adaptive logic of life.

Patterns are central to understanding nature. While tree geometry may appear chaotic, it follows internal rules governed by growth and environment. Scientists and mathematicians have long used models to describe these forms. Benoît Mandelbrot’s work on fractals revealed that self-similar, recursive patterns appear across scales. Using computational modeling, simulation, and data visualization, I explored natural systems often hidden from view—decoding their structure and behavior.

In this research, I combined observation, drawing, simulation, and analysis to understand a tree’s unique “pattern language.” Trees do not grow in isolation; they exist within a network of wind, organisms, and ecological forces. By interpreting these influences, I investigated how trees adapt over time.

Focusing on branching systems, I examined how patterns serve specific functions—distributing loads, guiding energy, supporting ecosystems, and linking the organism to its surroundings. Everything is interconnected.

Building on this research, I now apply natural logic to the design of sculptural works and furniture inspired by tree geometry. Drawing from The Algorithmic Beauty of Plants by Prusinkiewicz and Lindenmayer, I translate growth rules into design systems—creating forms that reflect both function and ecological intelligence.

Recommended Citation

Hu, Jia, "Tree Story" (2025). Masters Theses. 1444.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/1444

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.