Tag Archives: treehouse

This floating treehouse perched on steel stilts was inspired by the family’s young daughter’s sketch!

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Designed by a couple’s daughter, the Tree House was built by Ryan Street Architecture Studio to provide a fun and rugged, forested escape from the family’s main residence.

The imagination of children never ceases to inspire. Brimming with daydreams, children are constantly drawing up sketches and coming up with zany ideas. Inspired by the drawings of their own daughter, an Austin-based couple turned to Ryan Street Architecture Studio for help building a treehouse in their backyard. Primarily designed to be a backyard play space for their two daughters, the couple decided to turn the treehouse into something much larger.

Perched atop a system of stilts that mimic clusters of tree branches, the Tree House almost appears like it’s floating above the clearing below. Transforming the floor plans from a children’s treehouse into a much more refined, spacious, and functional guesthouse manifested through the Tree House’s dizzying exterior details.

Paneled with incongruent, uneven wooden slats, the Douglas fir timber chosen for the Tree House’s exterior facades closely resembles the wooden panels that line the couple’s main residence, stationed only a couple meters in front of the Tree House. Having worked on the couple’s main residence, Ryan Street’s choice for the Tree House to mimic the main residence seemed natural.

As project manager Jeremy Ristau notes, “We wanted the Tree House to feel special, while also keeping it relatable in color palette and materials to their main residence since they are in close proximity and it will ultimately feel like one cohesive estate.”

While the sketch became the Tree House’s main and primary source for inspiration, Ryan Street Architecture Studio promptly turned its gaze to the Tree House’s surroundings to better embody the sketches. Punctuated with mirror panels throughout, the Tree House literally reflects its surroundings.

Giving the illusion that trees and brush are closer than they may appear, the mirrors root the Tree House firmly in its natural surroundings. Even the underbelly of the Tree House is anchored with a large mirror to really send home the Tree House’s floating look.

Taking only around five days to reach its final form, Ryan Street asked the Escobedo Group, a local construction company, to develop a panelized prefabricated system called Dario. Constructed offsite, the panels were transported from the Escobedo Group’s factory to the Tree House, avoiding excess waste and streamlining the home’s assembly process.

Equipped with plumbing and electricity rooted in the home’s steel stilt supports, while the exterior might appear ruggedly refined, the interior is as comfortable as any hotel. With a single bedroom located on the home’s first floor and a loft bedroom with two beds, the Tree House functions as a getaway for the family of four and a whimsical house for guests.

Designers: Ryan Street Architecture Studio & Escobedo Group

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This wooden treehouse is constructed without a tree to minimize environmental impact & maximize adventure!

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Normalize adults living and chilling in treehouses because we are certainly going through a lot more than children and this is the escape we need! Cassiopeia is one such shelter that every grown-up dreams of having, it is a treehouse that was born in a garden without a tree for us to disconnect from the virtual world. It has multiple levels, a fire-man pole, a slide, a swing, a zip-line, a net bed, monkey bars and a climbing wall in sculptural form with legs that grow in the garden!

It has utmost privacy and was constructed with a very low impact on the territory. Cassiopeia is a playground for kids at its core but has been designed to provide the same nostalgia and whimsy for adults too. It seeks to touch the ground lightly through clever architectural design and woodworking which also ensures that it is durable and environmentally sustainable.

The contemporary treehouse aims to blend into its surroundings while providing a sanctuary for adults and kids to escape the monotony of everyday life. Especially since the pandemic, people are avoiding public spaces which restrict outdoor activities but Cassiopeia brings that adventure back to your backyard!

Cassiopeia, in astronomy, is a constellation of the northern sky easily recognized by a group of five bright stars forming a slightly irregular W. The multi-level playground is a privileged place to watch the complexity of the universe through the telescope lens.

The foundation of the treehouse is the invisible metal ground screws that give support to columns and beams. “At the top of it, we built the skeleton (interior frame) that receives the skin (walls and roof) that are built with CLT panels painted black that receive a horizontal slatted wood system that follows the treehouse shape,” adds the team.

This project highlights Madeiguincho’s combined heritage of both architecture and carpentry. The Portugal-based studio retains the charm of a traditional treehouse with the warm wooden aesthetic but brings modern architecture into play without needing a tree in the first place. The angular shape, systems for multiple activities, large windows and doors truly encourage us to take a break, play and bring back the innocent joy from our childhood.

Designer: Madeiguincho

This contemporary treehouse-inspired cabin is a playful composition between squares and circles!

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If you’re ever in the lush forests of Cape Town, you may come across four cylindrical towers, that kind of resembles a treehouse! This contemporary cabin is the work of local studio Malan Vorster.

They were commissioned to create a one-bedroom space inspired by the height, shape, and aesthetics of a tree! Elevated on stilts, the cabin was built to mimic the vertical trunks of the trees that surround it, allowing it to seamlessly merge with the rest of the forest, and look truly at one with it. This also helps to maximize the views from the elevated cabin. Inspired by the works of Kengo Kuma and Louis Kahn, the cabin is a playful composition of four cylindrical towers which form a pin-wheel configuration, that rises up from the square-shaped base of the home.

The structural columns within the house, branch into arms at the top, creating large rings that support the consecutive floor above it. Each side of the treehouse features large floor-to-ceiling windows, that allow you to take advantage of the gorgeous view surrounding the cabin.

Featuring a warm color palette, the cabin was built using red cedar wood and Corten steel. The wood is left completely untreated so that it will weather naturally over time, and adopt a tone similar to the surrounding trees. Corten steel was also used to build the entrance ramp which leads to the first level.

Inside, the home is quite simple and unique. The main living area occupies the first floor of the home. A patio, dining alcove, and the main staircase are placed on the semi-circular bays. The master bedroom is located on the second floor, with an en-suite bathroom in one corner, whereas the third floor features a roof deck.

The entire cabin is geometrically unique and is almost like a joyous game being played between the shapes – square and circle! It’s a warm, private and open space, situated in an exotic location, making it the perfect vacation destination. It’s also heaven for nature lovers. I sure would love a space like this, to escape to during the summers!

Designer: Malan Vorster

This portable treehouse trailer hooks onto a bike, making it the ultimate solo outdoor escapade!

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Talk about a treehouse and the first thing that comes to mind is a wooden structure erected around a solid tree. Then shift your thought towards a camper that is towed behind a vehicle. Combine these both in their smallest form possible and you get this portable treehouse. The unique creation christened Tree Trailer by Henry K. Wein, a design student at the Design Academy Eindhoven, is a house on wheels like none other. The one-man treehouse can be towed behind a bicycle or a motorcycle, and when the time comes to set camp, simply mount it on a solid tree branch with the trunk acting as the other support. When mounted to a tree, it makes me think about the idea of vertical camping – wherein tents are pitched hanging from vertical cliffs!

Henry created this amazing DIY camper from repurposed parts – such as the cladding made out of a salvaged house blind. The rest of it is made from wood and a supporting metal beam. For an airy feeling (for claustrophobic people) the portable treehouse comes with opening windows on the sides and a fixed glass window on top. While on the inside there is only enough space to toss and turn during sleep, it is far better than setting camp on the ground. Remember those times when on a camping trip the bugs and insects were a nightmare during sleep.

The DIY is worth all the appreciation and Henry will surely improve it in the future to make it more durable and worthy of long adventure trips. Probably having a pop-up style camper addition would be great, and the front section could be closed off securely to avoid dust or other things entering the sleeping area. That said, the Tree Trailer portable treehouse takes you much closer to nature – whether it be on the road or enjoying pristine views on a hilltop. Just imagine hanging from a tree – with nothing but you and the elements!

Designer: Henry K. Wein

This treehouse built around a live pine tree reimagines your idea of architectural escapism!

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Treehouses have a way of inspiring the kid in each of us. Whether we climbed to the top of trees as young kids or sat beneath their canopies way back then, trees naturally evoke feelings of wonder and home. Built on a client’s wish to have a cabin that feels like climbing a tree, Helen & Hard designed Woodnest to bring that feeling to life for its residents. Stationed high up in a pinewood forest somewhere in Odda, Norway, Woodnest finds its nesting place 6 meters above the forest floor.

Looking out over the Hardangerfjord, the fifth-longest fjord in the world, Woodnest saddles up next to tall pine trees and forested hillsides with support from a single, narrow tree, reinforced with a steel pipe. Getting the treehouse there was no small feat, however. Woodnest was constructed around the single steel pipe, which Helen & Hard dubs the “rigid backbone” as it supports the whole treehouse. Two steel wires also help to fix the tree horizontally so that Woodnest’s weight is vertically distributed and its load remains leveled.

Blooming from the backbone of the treehouse, double plywood ribs are placed in a radial shape to provide Woodnest with lots of interior floor space, also working as an insulating layer for the cabin. Overlaid on top of the plywood ribs, heartwood pine shingles provide Woodnest with a protective shell, also blending in with the natural patina of the surrounding forest. Inside the treehouse, paneling from black alder trees line Woodnest’s interior and brighten the room for guests to fully enjoy the view of the fjord below the forest. Strapped with a steel collar to the individual trunk of a living pine tree, Woodnest “truly embodies what it means to dwell in nature,” as Helen & Hard describe.

Designer: Helen & Hard

Two treehouses built by Helen & Hard look out over the Hardangerfjord.

Laden with heartwood pine shingles, Woodnest is naturally insulated.

Built around a living pine tree, Helen & Hard were careful to build around the natural landscape with minimal impact on the environment.

Inside, the treehouse is warmed up and coated with black alder panels.

The lighter hue of black alder works to brighten up the inside of Woodnest.

Warm, ambient lighting turns the treehouse into a lantern come dark.

Everything from the outside shingles to the chairs used inside is constructed from wood.

Steel pipes and wires work to reinforce the treehouse’s backbone to securely latch it onto the living pine tree’s trunk.

This sustainable hotel also includes an event space, a bar, a green roof and 40 micro-apartments!

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Studio Gang is known for being a super innovative company that produces some of the most unusual architectural designs and their latest concept is a mixed-use sustainable hotel called Populous! With solar panels, a green roof, and other carbon footprint-reducing features, Studio Gang aims to have the doors of this hotel open by 2023 which also seems like a feasible projection for all of us to resume traveling like non-pandemic times again.

Populous will be built in Denver, Colorado, and will measure 135,000 sq ft (roughly 12,500 sq m) with over 13 floors. While most of the interior layout will be dedicated to the hotel and its amenities, Studio Gang also plans to include 40 “micro-apartments” to stay aligned with its mixed-use functionality. It will also feature a public rooftop bar, a viewing point, a ballroom, and more food + drinks vendors – Populous sounds like the Venn Diagram intersection between a hotel, an event space, and an Airbnb tiny home. Hotel guests are immersed in the views of the nearby State Capitol, the Civic Center Park and the mountains beyond through the sweeping windows in their rooms. One really neat detail is that the windows of some rooms are designed to be occupiable so they are transformed into seating or desks that bring the outdoor scenic setting to the guest. The distinct shape of the windows also offers shade to the hotel and can channel rainwater to help keep the facade clean over time too using the “lids” that stretch outward.

The wedge-shaped building’s facade reminds me of a huge cheese grater and that is not something I mind but turns out it was the bark of local Aspen trees that inspired Studio Gang to make it that way. “At the building’s base, the windows grow up to 30 ft [9 m] in height to frame entrances and views into the lobby, restaurant, and amenity spaces. The texture and rhythm of its sculptural facade is strongly tied to the building’s hotel function. Each vertical scallop is the width of a hotel room, and its windows change in size in response to public and private spaces. The distinctive window shapes are informed by studying the characteristic patterns found on Aspen trees (Populus tremuloides). As the trees grow, they shed their lower branches, leaving behind dark, eye-shaped marks on the papery bark of their trunks,” says Studio Gang. Populous will be receiving the LEED Gold green building standard and will integrate features like roof-based solar panels to reduce its draw on the grid, a green roof, and an efficient heating/cooling system. I can’t wait to see more sustainable hotels that will help us make travel and tourism an environmentally-friendly experience powered by clean energy!

Designer: Studio Gang

This tiny house is everyone’s dream because it’s a fully-functioning, hanging, sustainable treehouse!

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Volume Zero, a Mumbai-based architecture competition, recently announced the winners of their 2020 Tiny House Architecture content that was focused on encouraging sustainability and individuality through design. There was a jury of international architects (including jurors from U.S.-based Desai Chia Architecture and Norway’s Saunders Architecture) that awarded three flexible tiny house concepts with $4,000 in total prize money and A Forest For Rest by Jorge Cobo was at the top of that list!

A Forest For Rest (I see what you did there Jorge and I love a good pun!) is a flexible prefab cabin with a tubular steel frame that can be suspended from trees or set on light foundations making it versatile – think tiny house meets dream treehouse! The 19.3-square-meter tiny house is lined with timber slats and features an open-plan living space with a separated bathroom on the ground floor and an adaptable sleeping space on the upper floor that is comfortable for three people. Timber is 100% sustainable – the process of manufacturing timber uses substantially less fossil fuel energy per unit volume than steel, concrete, or aluminum; meaning that it has a very low carbon footprint. Timber (and wood in general) is a natural element which is non-toxic and safe to handle. The customizable home also has the option for you to equip it with sustainable technologies like solar panels, rainwater reuse systems,  green roofs, and a ground-coupled heat exchanger.” Living among trees is a bouquet of sensations. It is a well-structured and complex composition of visions and illusions. The treehouse is the materialization of a desire for adventure, reconciliation with nature,” says Jorge.

Treehouses evoke a myriad of emotions in kids and adults alike, so to have a treehouse that serves as a fully functioning tiny home is a dream come true for us all.  Jorge describes it as the shelter of childhood,  a safe place, somewhere you feel independent and keep the real world at a distance. A Forest For Rest blends fantasy and adulting into an architectural marvel by giving us this ‘inaccessible’ home suspended between the sky and trees with the scenery of exciting adventures and sounds of birds.

Designer: Jorge Cobo

Modular treehouse units with triangular pitched roofs offer unlimited views of an old French château in the countryside!

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Treehouses inherently exude an air of myth and adventure. When stationed either in dense jungles as a natural hub to study wildlife or placed in a suburban backyard for kids, the treehouse is the place where the escapist can let their hair down. Take the treehouse and tuck it next to an old French castle in the countryside and it’s something straight from the storybooks. Forma Atelier, a Mexico-based architecture firm, turned that storybook setting into reality with their modular treehouse concept that cleverly combines razor-sharp triangular roofs with sweeping glass window panes to share the rural hills with that of an old French château.

Dartagans is a French crowdfunding site that allows citizens to help preserve heritage sites like châteaus through donations. Through these crowdfunding efforts, entire cultural sites in France are able to stay put and avoid any prospect of future demolition. Hosting a competition that welcomes young architects to design treehouse concepts for châteaus throughout rural France, Dartagans hosted one such competition for Loudun’s Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers. Rising to the top, Forma Atelier designed a modular treehouse concept that comprises limited residential units as their competition submission.

The prototype of each scalable treehouse was designed to be replicated and placed anywhere. Conceptualized as mobile and adaptable, the treehouse’s build achieves stability through its cross-layered foundation constructed from the overlaying of wooden planks. Forma Atelier designed two different sizes for their treehouse concept, a 100 m3 unit, and another 65 m3 unit. Built on a grid system of .30 m and .40m, the treehouses were sized and measured respectively. The treehouse’s modular structure gives each of them a geometric look. The countryside treehouse unit’s high-pitched roof in the shape of a triangle appears to be constructed from wooden panes, allowing for high ceilings while each unit’s cube-shaped main room, reinforced with steel beams, implements broad glass window panes for unfettered views of the countryside.

Designer: Forma Atelier

Through an intricate weaving process of cross-layered timber as its foundation, Forma Atelier’s treehouse maintains stability.

Sweeping glass window panes and high ceilings bring residents closer to the surrounding countryside and dissolve the boundary between nature and the indoors.

Sporting a geometric build that seamlessly transitions from one facade to the next, each treehouse unit is like its own miniature wooden castle.

The 100 m3 treehouse unit floor plan.

The 100 m3 treehouse unit floor plan.

One side view of the 100 m3 treehouse unit.

Another side view of the 100 m3 treehouse unit.

The 65 m3 treehouse unit floor plan.

The 65 m3 treehouse unit floor plan.

One side view of the 65 m3 treehouse unit.

Another side view of the 65 m3 treehouse unit.

This isolated cabin-on-a-rock makes for the perfect getaway from civilization

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If ever there was a time to just pack your bags and live in isolation, this would probably be it. Imagine escaping society’s problems, traffic, unrest, the weather, the news, annoying neighbors, and just taking a break on something as idyllic as this Ocean Cabin. Designed by Sri Lanka-based Thilina Liyanage, the Ocean Cabin is a neat, A-frame cabin precariously built on a giant boulder facing the ocean.

The A-frame design gives the cabin a sharp, jagged appeal that matches the rocky beach below… but the interiors are exceptionally warm and inviting, with an all-wood design, and a bar-counter to greet you as soon as you enter! You’ll have to climb multiple flights of stairs before you make it in; although, on a sunny day, that should give you a spectacular view of the coast ahead of you as well as of the lush greenery behind you. The cabin sits on stilts, giving you the advantage of altitude during high tides, while the complete glass-facade on the front of the cabin ensures you always have a panoramic ocean-facing view during the day. When the sun sets, the slanted skylight on the back ensures you sleep under a blanket of stars. Airbnb, give this designer a medal!

Designer: Thilina Liyanage

This modular treehouse is a sustainable school designed for the new normal!

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Remember that sweet childhood memory of spending summer afternoons in the treehouse playing pretend games with your friends? Something I believe everyone has been a part of is the classroom game where you set up a mini chalkboard and have a little class with your friends but we obviously loved that more than real school because it was in a treehouse! Well, designer Valentino Gareri took those nostalgic childhood moments and turned it into a Tree-House School and while this is obviously an architectural upgrade, the best part is that it is sustainable and modular! It is highly adaptable, reduces the load on urban areas, and features outdoor spaces which we value so much more after quarantine – the Tree-House is a blueprint on how one can use this breathing hub to rebuild communities outside the city.

At the conceptual school design’s core is the bond between children and nature – we are inherently more connected to our surroundings when we are younger, maybe because there was more outside playtime or just plain curiosity about the world and the Tree-House School brings that relationship back to life. The modular educational building also highlights the different details that need to be incorporated in the post-pandemic era where we need more spaces that blend the indoors and outdoors. The design has been created for remote areas which are now becoming popular as people move away from cities. It will include all the phases of education right from kindergarten to secondary schooling. Every phase fits into two massive interconnected rings. The unique shape of the structure also allows for two courtyards and a functional roof for plenty of activities. The classrooms can host up to 25 students at a time and are located in the two rings which keeps them connected to the outdoor landscape.

“The schools of the future will have to be designed under a new point of view: rather than just considering criteria of sustainability, they will have to embrace the ability-to-sustain the new condition where the pandemic put the entire society in. The connection to nature is physically and visually increased thanks to the faceted façade, made by the alternation of solid timber panels and glazing panels. The circular perimeter allows to block the direct sunlight with the opaque panels, and get diffuse light and free view through the transparent ones.” says Gareri. Being modular, it allows for future school extension to incorporate more programs and classrooms. It can also be adapted to serve different purposes like a disaster relief shelter, medical center, or residential units – just like you could turn your treehouse into anything you wanted, a spaceship or a mansion, with your imagination.

Designer: Valentino Gareri