Explore the Carbon-Capturing Power of Trees with Walkable Data Visualization

Eni, the energy company, and Carlo Ratti Associati, an international design and innovation office, have unveiled “Natural Capital,” a project that showcases the important role that trees play in producing oxygen. The installation, located in Milan’s Brera Botanical Garden, is one of the largest data visualizations ever produced. The aim is to highlight how much CO2 each individual tree species can capture and store, emphasising the importance of promoting forestry protection rather than deforestation. The project opened to the public during the Milan Design Week 2021 as part of INTERNI’s “Creative Connections” exhibition, from 4 to 12 September 2021.

The installation covers a 500-square-metre garden and comprises a series of floating bubbles of varying sizes that are nestled amongst the vegetation. Each bubble represents the amount of carbon dioxide that the corresponding trees can capture and store during their lifecycle. At the entrance to the garden is a giant sphere that represents the amount of CO2 produced on average by the human body each year. The contrast between the sphere and the floating bubbles suspended among the branches highlights the fundamental role that plants play in guaranteeing the planet's health and limiting global warming.

The design of “Natural Capital” experiments with a new medium, turning data visualization into a tangible, spatial experience. This project brings the natural and artificial worlds closer together, highlighting the symbiosis between humans and nature. Professor Carlo Ratti, founding partner at CRA and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, explains: “We are all aware of the positive role that plants and forests play in absorbing CO2. But how can we better elucidate this connection?”

The ecosystem services have been estimated by professor Alessio Fini of the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Milan. The calculations were based on data from previous research projects, including QUALIVIVA, funded by Mipaaf, SmartUrban, funded by Regione Toscana, and LIFE URBANGREEN, funded by the EU. Fini's team calculated ecosystem services from dozens of species growing in Milan’s Orto Botanico. Estimated ecosystem services included the amount of CO2 sequestered annually by plants, as well as the total amount of CO2 stored by each plant over its whole lifespan. For example, the persimmon (Diospyros kaki) in the Orto Botanico stores about 1400 kg CO2 as woody biomass and can sequester about 61 kg CO2 per year, while the bog pine (Pinus mugo) sequesters less than 1 kg CO2 per year.

Eni's commitment to protecting and conserving forests is one of the pillars of its decarbonisation strategy towards a sustainable world. Several initiatives led by the company follow the UN-designed REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) scheme, supporting the development of local communities by promoting economic and social activities. “Natural Capital” advances the ongoing collaboration between CRA and Eni, whose objective is to explore new circular economy and sustainability paradigms.

“Natural Capital” follows other projects between CRA and Eni, including the prize-winning Circular Garden at Milan Design Week 2019, produced in collaboration with INTERNI. This project used one kilometre of mushroom mycelium as a recyclable building material to form a series of catenary arches interspersed among vegetation. In the same year, CRA and Eni presented Feel the Peel, a prototype of an orange squeezing machine that makes 3D-printed bioplastic drinking cups out of orange peels.

The importance of “Natural Capital” lies in its ability to connect the public with the natural world, while emphasising the importance of protecting and preserving forests. The installation provides a spatial experience.

CREDITS

Natural Capital

A project by CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati for Eni

Part of “INTERNI Creative Connections” exhibition

Creative Lead: Italo Rota

Scientific research: Alessio Fini (Università di Milano). Results have been obtained from projects SmartUrban, Qualiviva, and LIFE URBANGREEN

CRA Team: Carlo Ratti, Antonio Atripaldi (Project Manager), Saverio Panata, Luca Giacolini, Chiara Borghi, Matteo Zerbi, Nicola Scaramuzza, Serena Giardina, Alessandro Tassinari, Aurora Maggio, Irem Ceri, Oliver Kazimir

Renderings by CRA graphic team: Gary di Silvio, Pasquale Milieri, Gianluca Zimbardi

Where: Brera Botanical Garden of the University of Milan, Italy