“If we think about a tree as a design; it is something that makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, and fixes nitrogen, distills water, provides habitat for hundreds of species, accrues solar energy, it makes complex sugars and food, creates microclimates, and self-replicates. So what would it be like to design a building like a tree? What would it be like to design a city like a forest? What would a building be like if it were photosynthetic? What if it took solar energy and converted it into productive and delightful use?”

• William McDonough, The 11th Hour