Tag Archives: treehouse

Elevated Cabin In Brazil Provides An Immersive + Surreal Treetop Living Experience

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As a child, we’ve all dreamed of having a large enchanting treehouse in our backyards. A place we can play all day in, and spend our summer coasting above the ground, in the canopy of a beautiful tree. As an adult, we can actually make that dream come true with Casa Monoculo. Designed by Brasília-based architect Alan Chu, the Casa Monoculo is a contemporary Brazilian home that is situated above the densely forested area of Eldorado, a neighborhood of Alto Paraiso City. The stunning home is elevated above the ground and is designed to provide a unique twist on the concept of treetop living. But it is not simply an ordinary treehouse, it is spacious and modern, no different than any of the finely done villas you see today. It provides expansive views of the beautiful surroundings while creating a luxurious living experience.

Pros:

  • Provide a luxurious treetop living experience
  • Provides long stunning vistas of the city, sunrise, and the mountains

Cons:

  • Doesn’t seem like the house can accommodate a large number of guests, better suited for smaller parties

Designer: Alan Chu

The site is located near the city center, it required working with unusual conditions. Despite its location, it is surrounded by greenery and preserved Cerrado vegetation, which required the architect to adopt a sensitive approach. He elevated the structure from the ground, to ensure that no disturbance was caused to the existing nature, and no trees had to be cut down. As a result, the home is supported by 12 black metal pillars, five meters above the ground. It touches the ground quite lightly and also provides the residents with long stunning views of the city, sunrise, and the mountains in the distance.

Called Casa Monoculo, the house is named after the traditional monocle which translates to monóculo’ in Portuguese. The entire home was designed with the intention to frame experiences and capture and elevate the beautiful environment via the thoughtfully and well-done setup. An impressive winding staircase welcomes visitors from the ground to the house above, allowing them to connect to the surroundings on their way up.

“The Monóculo house has been designed to not only leave an everlasting memory of the view but to have provided its guests with a unique and unforgettable experience,” said Chu. And, truly the home functions as a warm, inviting, and spacious living setup that makes you feel truly connected with nature, and allows you to appreciate it admiringly from a distance.

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Treehouse-style elevated pods in this Costa Rican hotel make for an excellent tropical getaway

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As a child, we’ve all dreamed of having a large enchanting treehouse in our backyards. A place we can play all day in, and spend our summer coasting above the ground, in the canopy of a beautiful tree. As an adult, we can actually make that dream come true by staying at the Suitree Experience Hotel with its adorable treehouse-style guest rooms. Designed by Studio Saxe, and located in Costa Rica, the Suitree Experience Hotel comprises of elevated pods built from teak and steel.

The pods seem to float above the hilltops and trees and were designed to “coexist and symbiotically interact” with the surrounding natural environment. Nestled in Sardinal, a district in the northwestern province of Guanacaste, which is known for its thick lush jungles, nature preserves, and agricultural fields, the hotel is completely immersed in nature.

Pros:

  • The elevated pods offer expansive views and allow visitors to completely immerse themselves in the jungle
  • Designed to minimize environmental disruption

Cons:

  • Since the rooms are treehouse-style, they could invite in bugs and insects
  • The rooms are only accessible via stairs, so not the most inclusive design, except for one ground-level villa

Designer: Studio Saxe

Located on a 2.6-acre property, the tree-inspired pods were built by creating minimum disruption to the natural landscape. They are elevated nine meters above the ground, providing stunning expansive views, and allowing guests to completely immerse themselves in nature. “Our design philosophy revolves around the principle of ‘floating architecture’, where structures do not disturb the existing ecosystem but instead coexist and symbiotically interact with it. We envision architecture not as an imposition on the landscape, but rather as a seamless extension of it,” said Studio Saxe.

There are five pods in total, and these include the guest rooms, making up half of the buildings at the hotel. The property also includes a reception, a restaurant, a spa, a lookout tower, and a ground-level villa with level access. Each pod occupies 108 square meters, and they all feature an identical design. They have faceted roofs with rounded edges and deep overhangs. The roofs were built from thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO), while the roof eaves are covered with a material called Caña Brava bamboo. The undersides of the pods have also been clad with the same material. “Four robust supports lend each pod structural and seismic stability while creating the illusion of an organism gently treading on the landscape. The design integrates stability with harmony, crafting a sustainable experience that respects and enhances its surrounding environment,” concluded Studio Saxe.

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Solar-Powered Off-Grid Treehouse Perfectly Combines Nature, Sustainability + Luxury

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As a child, we’ve all dreamed of having a large enchanting treehouse in our backyards. A place we can play all day in, and spend our summer coasting above the ground, in the canopy of a beautiful tree. As an adult, we can actually make that dream come true! A stunning treehouse was recently constructed in the north of Toronto, Canada near Minden by locally based treehouse company Fort Treehouse Co. The 370 square feet treehouse is built amidst three trees – one red maple, and two sugar maples, and spans over two stories.

Dubbed the Baltic, this mesmerizing treehouse is fully equipped to provide a comfortable and cozy living experience. It houses a kitchen, bathroom, living room, a comfortable sleeping loft, and a luxurious extra like an outdoor wood-fired hot tub to pamper its residents. It aims to provide a unique and one-of-a-kind treehouse experience in the heart of the Canadian woodlands, allowing you to immerse yourself in the beauty of nature.

Pros:

  • Solar-powered and completely off-grid
  • Provides stunning views of the Haliburton Highlands’ evergreen and mixed hardwood forests
  • Built using specialized hardware that supports the treehouse, and ensures the longevity of the trees

Cons:

  • Has an open-concept loft bathroom which may be uncomfortable to use for some people, and could invite in bugs and insects
  • Only available for short-term stays, so you can’t book it for longer durations

Designer: Fort Treehouse Co.

One look at the Baltic, and you instantly feel invited in. It has a rather comforting and modern exterior punctuated with massive windows that lend the space an air of openness. The windows allow natural light to stream in through the day, reducing dependency on artificial lighting. While constructing the home, precautions, and measures were taken to cause minimum impact to the surrounding trees. Large machinery was prohibited from being used around the trees, which can cause damage to the water-absorbing surface roots. Instead, the materials and large supports were swung using hand-pulled ropes via a system of rigging. In fact, the treehouse is raised on a platform 13 feet above the ground, supported by specialized hardware, that is connected to the trees. An insulated conduit was installed which holds the plumbing and electrical wires that service the treehouse.

“We’ve got some very specialized hardware that supports the treehouse and ensures the longevity of the trees. On the exterior of the tree, about the first two inches is where all those living cells that are taking food up and storing sugars. In the middle [of the tree] is wood—it’s lumber, it’s wood, it’s the support for the tree. So by putting the hardware all the way through the tree, you’re not causing any more impact to the tree and its ability to carry what it needs up and down the tree, but you are putting the load nice and safe on either side of the tree, instead of just on one [side],” said Fort Treehouse Co.’s founder Cam Green.

As you enter the treehouse, you are welcomed by a compact foyer where you can sit and remove your shoes. As you wander further inside, you enter the living room which features a warm earthen floor made using a mix of local clay, sand, and straw. The floor absorbs a lot of the heat from the sun, and slowly releases it throughout the day, to keep the home warm and comfortable. A propane fireplace provides the maximum amount of heat to the living space.

The kitchen is small, but well-equipped with a stove, oven, sink, and a mini-refrigerator. The bedroom is quite cushy and cozy with windows on all sides, while the bathroom features a custom rain shower, toilet, and vintage-style sink. All in all, the Baltic is a thoughtfully-designed, off-grid, and sustainable treehouse that makes for an excellent modern getaway in the heart of nature. It perfectly combines natural beauty, comfort, luxury, and sustainability.

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Tree house-inspired home in Vietnam is built using recycled and local scrap materials

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Called Tree House by the Lake, this stunning home is located on the shores of Da Bang Lake in the Chau Duc District in Vietnam. The home is built using recycled metal sheeting and repurposed wood and glass and was commissioned by an elderly couple. Designed by local studio H2, the home is designed to bring the couple and their grandchildren closer to nature, helping them build a deeper connection to it, and immerse themselves in greener surroundings. The Tree House by the Lake is surrounded by the forest and was in fact constructed using local scrap materials to reduce the impact on it.

Designer: H2

“The aim of the project is to create a house that blends in with the woods. The building has a rustic, idyllic appearance of old materials, along with the interior and everything in the house is very simple and light, to make room for sunlight, wind, and trees to play,” said H2. The home was designed to resemble a tree house and is shaded subtly by the forest canopy. The main form of the home gradually rises up from the ground, giving a rather expansive and impressive impression, allowing the cool breeze from the forest to roll into it.

Trees grow through the terrace, voids, and roof via openings of the home, allowing nature to seamlessly and directly integrate with the architecture of the house. The home has two storeys, with the low storey featuring glazing and pivoting panes that open out into the garden and the surrounding landscape. It holds the living room, with a majestic tree growing through the floor. The upper storey is a rectangular volume clad in reclaimed corrugated iron, and it cantilevers over the lower floor, giving the impression that it is gracefully floating in the air.

A long spiral staircase connects the two floors, while a double-height wooden walkway links the bedrooms at either end of the house. The walkway is an interesting indoor-outdoor space with a glazed roof, and an elliptical window sits in the center of the walkway, and functions as a window seat that offers lovely views of the surrounding forest.

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This picturesque cantilevered lakefront home is inspired by the Minecraft game

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Located just outside of Redmond, Washington with a view of the Ames Lake, is the Treehouse Camp Residence, a picturesque home nestled on a site that once held a Boy Scout Camp from the 1950s through the 1990s. The stunning residence is home to a family with two young children. It is tucked away within the forest but is yet pretty close to the water’s edge.

Designer: Stephenson Design Collective

The home occupies almost 3900 square meters and was designed by Stephenson Design Collective. The lakeside locale is considered a protected area, and hence the architect took special care to ensure that the home and its construction gently interacted with the natural surroundings, without immensely disturbing them or causing them any harm. The architect had to be extremely sensitive while designing and constructing the home, which they were successful at, resulting in the creation of a beautiful glass, concrete, and wood home that pays tribute to the surrounding Pacific Northwest forests, as well as the Danish heritage of the owner of the home.

The homeowner is the CCO of the video game Minecraft, and hence Stephenson Design Collective quite interestingly drew inspiration from the game’s usage of blocks while designing the home. The entire Treehouse Camp Residence is made up of stacked blocks. The ground floor features a board-formed concrete exterior that merges with the surrounding forest and includes public spaces such as the kitchen, office, and guest room. The upper floor has been beautifully clad in charred shou sugi ban siding. The upper story gracefully extends and cantilevers past the ground floor, to provide additional space to accommodate three bedrooms, a family room, and laundry which are connected via a suspended bridge. The home also houses a basement, with a glass-walled wine cellar, media room, and home gym.

On the ground floor, the open living room, kitchen, and dining room subtly open out to the outdoors, creating a serene indoor-outdoor connection, and functioning as an excellent space for entertaining or enjoying meals alfresco. This experience is made even more interesting, with the 16-foot cantilevered upper floor which provides protection. Massive sliding doors provide stunning and unobstructed views of the surrounding lake and trees, creating a picture-perfect backdrop!

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FLORA observatory suspends among a canopy of treetops to research the biodiversity of a natural park in Barcelona

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Called the Forest Lab for Observational Research and Analysis (FLORA), this observatory is located at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), suspended among the treetops of Barcelona‘s Collserola Natural Park. The innovative and unique scientific research facility is developed by students and researchers of Masters in Advanced Ecological Buildings and Biocities. Nicknamed FLORA the research facility is an advanced and ecological building that serves as a space for researchers to live and work in the forest canopy.

Designer: IAAC

FLORA measures around 28 feet in height and was built using invasive pine trees which have been sourced from within the Catalan park using sustainability forest management and traceability procedures. The mass timber structure was constructed by cutting down and processing seventy trees which were used to create cross-laminated timber panels, laminated beams, and solid wood elements.

The IAAC team designed the observatory to serve as a dwelling for a researcher who will be studying the biodiversity of the park, and using FLORA’s new weather station for a certain period of time. The structure was inspired by the work of the American biologist Margaret D. Lowman and her hanging walkways. It is the first building to allow researchers to observe the forest canopy! Pretty cool, right? The project is a part of the ‘zero-kilometer’ philosophy since the timber used to build the structure was procured from the surrounding forest.

The observatory was designed to be immersed in nature and to function as an ecological interactive prototype. It features a bird radio, bird houses, working and projection space, as well as bird-watching spaces. The observatory is used to gain a better understanding of nature, the biodiversity of the park, and how climate change and its effects are influencing it. FLORA is an impeccable example of sustainable forest management, and how it can be utilized to build scientific facilities, without causing any kind of damage to the environment. It helps and aids researchers in observing and studying biodiversity and ecological systems of the park, and attempts to provide insights and solutions on how to preserve and manage natural spaces around the world in a better and holistic manner.

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This enchanting treehouse in Brazil is deeply inspired by the forest it is located in

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Designed by São Pauolo-based Studio MEMM, this beautiful treehouse in the Brazilian forest is heavily influenced by its surroundings. It attempts to provide an abstract interpretation of its environment, in an architectural and tactile form. The home is located in the Monte Verde region of the Minas Gerais state.

Designer: Studio MEMM

The treehouse is designed to be an extension of the family home, and was originally meant to be for the client’s children, a rather fun garden space to play games in! However, in time, it transformed into a place of gathering, for people to engage with one another, and connect with nature. It allows the residents and their guests to ride high among the canopy’s foliage.

The project was led by the studio’s founder Marcelo Macedo. They created a perforated timber shell from geometric, foliage-inspired, sun-shading screens. This provides the perfect combination of aesthetics and functionality and allows inspiration to be drawn from the surroundings while ensuring the design is practical. It was extremely important that the location for the treehouse was ideal as well. In fact, “Before starting the project’s conception, it was necessary to choose the tree and understand its context. The client already had in mind options in an area near the lake on the site. The garden, densely populated by numerous tree species, brings privacy and ambiance to each function around the wetland area (a pool annex, a deck, a natural pool, and the main house sitting nearby). Added to this, a gentle, continuous slope extends across the land, so that the surroundings of the lake are arranged in gentle plateaus,” said the architects.

The treehouse is defined by two square volumes that have been connected together, to not only each other but the main house as well. The structures have been linked together using minimal yet sturdy bridges, that you can walk across and catch a glimpse of the green surroundings from as well. The treehouse includes lounge areas, that have been lit up quite thoughtfully, in order to bring focus to not only the architecture of the structure but the surrounding nature as well.

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This pine-shaped treehouse provides picturesque views of the Italian Alps

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Italian architecture brand Studio Beltrame has designed a stunning treehouse, which mimics the shape of a pine tree, and has been tucked away and concealed subtly in the lush forests of the Italian Alps. Called II Pino, the holiday home consists of three levels stacked one on top of the other, each providing a different opportunity to connect with nature. The home is energy efficient, and positioned among the high treetops which are visited only by birds!

Designer: Studio Beltrame

Besides being energy efficient, II Pino is also completely off-grid, as it produces its own renewable energy owing to the solar PV panels outfitted on the roof. Each floor of the home provides a different experience with nature and the surrounding forest. You can interact with the forest, and connect with it in a unique manner on each of the levels. The base of the home is completely covered by trees and serves as an intimate and private space. While the level in the center has a meditative atmosphere and is surrounded by tree fronds. The highest level is probably the best, as it provides beautiful views of the majestic snow-capped peaks of the Italian Alps.

II Pino was designed to perfectly integrate with its green surroundings. It features three pitched roofs that are stacked on top of each other, creating a vertical assembly, that occupies a minimal footprint, and resembles the trees surrounding it. The three roofs have also been clad in green larch shingles, allowing them to camouflage effortlessly with the neighboring pine needles.

The interiors of the cabin will be marked by wall slabs and furnishing finished with natural CLT, to create an immersive experience of holidaying in the Italian Alps. II Pino was selected by Airbnb’s OMG! Fund! Competition, and received a large grant, and we will hopefully see it come to life next summer!

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This treehouse is built from felled trees to prove the importance of effective woodland management

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The Sylvascope is a wooden treehouse built for The Harewood Biennial 2022 exhibit where designers and artists explore why craft is a radical act.

The Harewood Biennial 2022 is a contemporary art exhibit that takes place on the estate of the Harewood House located in Leeds, United Kingdom. The exhibit is meant to explore forms of radical acts within the scope of design and craft. Spread over 100 acres of land, artists and designers embrace radical acts through their own interpretations, from organic architecture to mycelium-based furniture. For Sebastian Cox, a London-based fine furniture maker, his idea of radical acts took shape in the form of a treehouse. Dubbed Sylvascope, the treehouse is a nest-like space constructed by cutting trees down, Cox’s chosen radical act.

Designer: Harewood x Sebastian Cox

Describing the inspiration behind this radical act, Cox describes, “We are planting trees at a rate not seen before in history. The area of woodland in Britain is now back at the level it was in the 14th Century. Despite this, biodiversity within woodlands is declining. How do we save our woodland wildlife? It seems not necessarily by planting more trees–we need to manage our woodland.” In an effort to explore how cutting down trees can help diversify the woodland creatures that populate the forest, the trees used to give rise to Sylvascope came from felled trees located on-site.

Built almost entirely from trees harvested onsite, the Sylvascope treehouse is located in the nucleus of the Harewood Estate to show what managed forests look like. Through this radical act, Cox hopes to help facilitate the growth of brambles and herb undergrowth to boost the area’s biodiversity. Along with cutting trees down, Cox is also planting new seeds and trees in different sections of the forest to provide diverse nesting grounds for different animal species.

“We often think a healthy woodland is one that looks pleasing – with tall trees and a welcoming, leaf-littered woodland floor, easy to navigate with no brambles or undergrowth. But this kind of woodland is not favorable to most of our woodland wildlife,” Cox explains, “When we fell some trees in a woodland, and let light into the woodland floor, other plants, and with the insects, mammals, and birds, can thrive. It seems cutting trees can be more useful than just planting them. Only 41% of Britain’s woodlands are managed, so management should be an equal priority to planting.

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BIG ushers in their latest hotel concept with 350 birdhouses to increase the region’s biodiversity

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Sweden’s Treehotel introduces their latest hotel room which covers a 34m2 cubic living unit with 350 birdhouses to increase the region’s bird population and provide nesting sites during each breeding season.

The Treehotel in Swedish Lapland is Bjarke Ingels Group’s (BIG) immersive hospitality experience that creates unique hotel accommodations through a variety of cabins in the woods. Incorporating the local materials of wood and stone into the build of each cabin, the Treehotel units each react to the surrounding forest differently just like the trees and vegetation that provide the hotel’s backdrop.

Designer: Bjarke Ingels Group

In a recent collaboration with Swedish ornithologist Ulf Öhman, the Treehotel’s latest hotel room is called Biosphere for its spherical frame covered by 350 birdhouses to increase the region’s biodiversity and double as a bird habitat.

Suspended amidst the pines of Sweden’s Harads locality, Biosphere is the eighth hotel room on the property. The interior of each 34m2 hotel unit can be accessed via a suspension bridge that slopes from the ground floor up to the Treehotel’s units. While the interiors are described as “simple and pragmatic,” dark elements and organic materials help the units feel as cozy as a nest.

Visitors can also access a panoramic vista point on the roof terrace that completely opens up to the surrounding forest. As the architects behind Biosphere put it, “Surrounded by subtle bird song–balanced by the exterior triple-glazing facade–guests are provided with an intimate, immersive nature experience.”

The birdhouses that envelop the cubic living units were incorporated into the design in an attempt enhance the surrounding biosphere, with the aim being to decrease the downward trend of the local bird population in the surrounding Swedish woods and strengthen the rich biodiversity of the region. Working closely with Öhman enlightened Treehotel’s architects on the region’s bird population and how to help conserve it.

As Öhman notes, “Inventories in Norrbotten county, carried out both by us as ornithologists and by the county administrative board, show that the number of different bird populations is decreasing. Forestry has led to a reduced number of natural holes in trees where breeding birds nest. The installation of bird nests is, therefore, an important measure to take.”

Öhman continues, “Furthermore, climate change leads to the insect boom happening earlier in the year, and by the time the birds’ eggs hatch, the boom has already passed. Feeding is an important support mechanism for the birds that stay in northern Sweden and require food during winter.

Demonstrating the use of bird nests and feeding, not just at the Treehotel but for people to install near their own homes, is valuable. An initiative from Treehotel to take such measures may inspire their visitors to do the same.”

The hotel’s elevational treatment doubles as a bird habitat for the region’s avian population. 

The staggered, multi-shaped configuration of the birdhouses still allows the natural sunlight to come through to each unit.

The unit’s glass facades allow pools of sunlight to enter.

The darker interior elements provide a nestlike quality to the unit.

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