When architecture student Yi Yvonne Weng considers the future of the Amazon rainforest, she pictures a place that has not fallen to deforestation, but has instead been preserved for scientific exploration. And that exploration takes place on vast, mesh canopies that stretch across the treetops.
Weng just received the 2012 Foster + Partners Prize for her project, “The 6th Layer – Expolorative Canopy Trail.” Seeking to create a non-invasive way to explore the rainforest, Weng proposed deploying ultra-lightweight mesh canopies over portions of the treetops. Using the natural space between trees, long mesh nests would drop down further into the forest and end in little capsules, allowing explorers to experience the forest from a different angle. Via Aerial canopies would let you explore the Amazon rainforest from above.
