Growing Together: Divya Vura’s Vision of Living Architecture
Reimagining Construction—Rooted in the Realms of Nature
In a discipline where permanence and monumentality once reigned supreme, a new wave of architects is challenging the notion that buildings must forever stand apart from their landscapes. Leading this charge is Divya Vura, an Architectural and Urban Designer (RIBA Part II) whose inventive work signals a paradigm shift in how we conceive, construct, and inhabit space. Graduating with Merit from Oxford Brookes University’s Master’s programme in Applied Design in Architecture—with a specialism in urban design and ecological placemaking—Divya brings substantial project experience, including work on India’s New Parliament Building and the iconic IFSCA Headquarters Tower. But it is her speculative thesis, “Growing Together: Living Architecture Through Grafted Ecosystems,” that truly marks a turning point in her emerging practice.
A Living Orchard at the Heart of Faversham
Set within the orchard-dotted fields of Faversham, Kent, “Growing Together” is less a building and more an unfolding tapestry—part landscape, part living experiment. Here, engineering steel and concrete gives way to something far more radical: the tree as architecture, with roots, branches, and canopies shaping not merely the structure, but the spirit of place.
The masterplan spans seven acres and unfolds in careful phases, each balancing ecological healing with new opportunities for communal gathering and activity. At its heart is a regenerated orchard—an intricately planned ecosystem where advanced grafting techniques allow trees to weave together, literally growing walls, canopies, and eventually, elevated traversable structures. Through careful selection, seasonal planting, and community-led stewardship, this landscape is designed to thrive across decades, inviting continual participation from both people and pollinators.
Grafting as Architectural Innovation
The project’s most radical move is to treat grafting—a technique familiar to orchardists but largely overlooked by designers—as a foundational building strategy. Rather than extracting resources to create shelter, Divya’s methodology proposes the careful guidance of living tissue over time. Trees are joined at their trunks and branches, gradually forming resilient structural frameworks that are both habitat and home.
This “living architecture” directly references pioneering precedents. German Baubotanik buildings, which manipulate tree growth for spatial outcomes, serve as an inspiration, as do the living root bridges of Meghalaya, India—poetic testaments to a centuries-old tradition of shaping life into social infrastructure. Yet, “Growing Together” is notable for its distinctly community-driven approach, inviting residents to co-steward the orchard as a site of continual creation, harvest, and renewal.
Ecological Placemaking—Beyond Sustainability
While ecological design has become a requisite in contemporary practice, Divya’s proposal pushes further, envisioning a regenerative future where built form is synonymous with ecological health. Each phase of the project is planned to restore soil vitality, enhance local biodiversity, and provide critical habitat for pollinators and native wildlife. Coppicing cycles—periodic harvesting that encourages regrowth—are woven into the management plan, allowing the orchard to yield timber, food, and craft materials without disrupting its living structure.
Socially, the masterplan offers a new kind of public commons: workshops beneath blossom-draped canopies, gathering spaces nestled amid fruit-laden boughs, and elevated walkways that invite slow-moving exploration among the branches. The architecture thus grows not only from the ground up, but also from a culture of shared care, reconciling the interests of humans and non-human inhabitants alike.
Rethinking Boundaries—An Adaptive and Inclusive Vision
Key to “Growing Together” is the idea that architecture should do more than occupy land; it should help repair and reimagine it. By challenging the conventional dichotomies of public/private, built/natural, and permanent/ephemeral, Divya’s project encourages a humility rare in design—it is an architecture that is adaptive, contingent, and fundamentally open-ended.
Boundaries are rewritten not only in spatial terms but in time: as the orchard matures, its functions evolve. Early phases may host workshops and seasonal festivals; later, as structures grow tall and sturdy, new opportunities for elevated play, learning, and quiet retreat will emerge. In this way, Divya’s vision resists the finality common to architectural projects, replacing it with a slow, generational growth that reflects the rhythms of both human and natural communities.
Recognition and the Road Forward
While speculative in nature, “Growing Together” stands out for its synthesis of traditional knowledge, cutting-edge research, and grounded social engagement. It presents a credible alternative to the extractive and often alienating processes of modern construction—one that is adaptive, low-carbon, and deeply embedded in its context. The project has generated significant interest among peers and practitioners, positioning Divya as a thought leader at the intersection of ecological restoration and architectural design.
Connecting with Divya Vura
For those interested in innovative models of regenerative placemaking, Divya Vura’s work offers both inspiration and insight. Whether you are a fellow architect, an environmental steward, or simply curious about the future of living landscapes, Divya welcomes conversations and collaborations. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or reach out directly via email at divya.vura18@gmail.com.
As our cities and ecosystems face unprecedented challenges, “Growing Together” asks not how quickly we can rebuild, but how wisely and collaboratively we can grow. Through this living laboratory in Kent, Divya Vura challenges us all to imagine—maybe for the first time—an architecture as alive as the communities it serves.
Add a comment