Instant Pop-up Treehouse

Instant Pop-up Treehouse

Here is a nifty instant up treehouse from Sam van Veluw and Rogier Martens at the Aandeboom design studio in the Netherlands.

The flat-pack treehouse they call the "Zelfbouwboomhut" is a plywood structure, made up of puzzle-like pieces, that comes shipped in a flat cardboard box and can be set-up and hung in a tree in minutes. Its light weight, its portable, its fast to setup, and its fun!

I like the use of nylon straps to both hang the house on the tree and also to hold the puzzle pieces together. It is an ingenious idea, if you ask me, because the tree suffers no real damage (as long and the weight is kept down) and the house can be transported, set up, and taken down quickly and without any tools. Other strap supported treehouse ideas I've talked about previously use pieces of rubber (like old inner tubes) to add an extra layer of abrasion protection between the tree and the straps.

Now, it must be said that this is a treehouse for children, small children at that and not too many of them at once. And, it a very temporary tree house setup. I'm thinking its quick set-up and take down makes it best used for the day, or for a few weeks max, and then take it down.

At first view I see parents of young children using something like this as a play pen in a tree in the back yard. Or an outdoor tree crib. Or a folding tree fort that can be taken to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Especially if one of the parents is handy, this is something that can be made in very little time with some plywood and a jigsaw with some big rewards. Doesn't get much easier than that!

On the other hand, I'd be curious to see what something like this would turn into if left in the hands of some of the homeless people around here -- a mobile flat-pack accommodation a bit bigger than this that could fit in a shopping cart would be a real prize. Anything to get off the ground and keep the weather off. That's really not what this idea is intended for; however it is a transient scenario many people find themselves in.

I hope that kids who get to experience the joy of treehouse while young somehow gain the necessary things they need to grow up avoid having to live in one out of necessity as an adult. And I like this because it makes it that much easier for parents to be able to provide that experience to their kids.

Toronto's Elliott Treehouse

Toronto's Elliott Treehouse

Designed by Nicko Björn Elliott and built in Toronto, Canada, this treehouse has some great design ideas for do-it-yourself builders.

First, I have to say, I really like the use of the translucent fiberglass siding throughout. If you're not concerned about insulating for warmth, this material is cheap, very weatherproof, and allows for a bright and airly feel to the structure. Its kind of like an atrium in a tree, or a greenhouse lantern.

Second, I like the use of the bench around the base. Many people build treehouses without considering how the space below it will be used. The area under the treehouse is a convergence point -- like the front porch of your home -- and it takes a lot of wear and tear from this traffic.

The Elliott treehouse has benches installed below it that also double as a walkway to provide for the high traffic and activity. Covering this area at the base of the tree makes it more usable as a gathering place, and serves as another informal room to the tree house similar to an outdoor covered deck (the treehouse above providing shade and rain protection). This is not only a functional consideration, but also essential for protecting the roots at the base of the tree from damage. Again, a great combination of form and function.

Lastly, no tree house would be complete without some extra fun-factor installed. A swing or fireman's pole are popular options, and this design's use of a pole is great. There is a circuit there: up the ladder, across the treehouse (look through windows along the way), slide down the pole, walk the benched back to the stairs, up and do it all over again. This cycle is good for hours and hours of play.

(via Dezeen)

Treehouse Builder Looking for Contacts in New Zealand

Treehouse Builder Looking for Contacts in New Zealand

I received an e-mail from Peter Fry, a carpenter in England, who is looking for treehouse building contacts in New Zealand.

Pete has 3 years experience working with Squirrel Design Treehouse builders in the UK and is looking for similar work in NZ for a time.

Send me an e-mail if you'd like a connection and I'll happily forward it to him.

Shingled Mounds for Treehouse Inspiration

Shingled Mounds for Treehouse Inspiration

Photo credit Lyndon Douglas via designboom

Radical Nature: Art and Architecture for a Changing Planet 1969-2009 is a show at the Barbican Art Gallery, London. The central theme is 'designers working with nature', and provides examples from the land art movement, environmental activism, experimental architecture and utopianism.


One piece titled "I am so sorry. Goodbye" by Heather and Ivan Morison stands out to me as a visually appealing piece. Brief description of the piece from the gallery site:

I am so sorry. Goodbye explores the relationship between the built environment and nature. The double-domed pavilion takes its inspiration from the structures built by utopian communities in the west coast of the US in the 1970s. Designed as a tea house, I am so sorry. Goodbye provides a place of rest and shelter, where one is served hibiscus tea, a beverage popular in various parts of the world and thought to have medicinal properties. A transparent dome at the top of the structure alludes to a spaceship or futuristic aircraft, a vehicle which might transport one away from a time or place of catastrophe.

I make mention of this sculpture because I think it illustrates a great potential method for treehouse building. 'I am so sorry. Goodbye' may have been built on the ground, but I can easily see it positioned on a platform high up in the trees. There are other reasons to consider an approach like this for a treehouse, too:

• The unique organic and rounded look of the merged spheres, along with the haphazard cedar shakes, creates a semi-chaotic camouflage pattern that blends well into the surrounding woods.
• The geometric form itself is an ideal way to optimize livable space within the irregular constraints of large tree branches and trunks. Rigid cubes don't fit well within the tree canopy; however, the organic shapes determined by improvisational methods (similar to cellular growth) can readily optimize to and accommodate whatever space is available.
• A geodesic dome also has very desirable qualities from an engineering point of view: The structure is both strong and lightweight which are ideal characteristics for building structures supported high up in the trees. And the dome structure can be supported equally well from various points along the sides, top, and bottom, too which makes bracing and attachment to the trees easier.
• Lastly, the feel of the space inside has a unique organic quality: The lack of angularity, no dominant lines from pillars or beams, and the natural diffusion of light all make for a very warm and refreshing space. And this has an impact on people's habitable enjoyment.

Some potential improvements for a treehouse application based on this design may include alternate exterior finishing techniques. For example, the use of a waterproof membrane under the shakes would make it more weather resistant and allow one to insulate and finish the inside of the walls. Or, other more flexible materials such sections of recycled car tire may be used in place of the cedar shakes. I'd also explore the possibility of wrapping the sphere right around under the bottom of the platform to create trap-door accessible storage spaces.

Very inspiring none-the-less and this is currently on the top of my list for future treehouse designs.

Grown Tree Root Bridges

Grown Tree Root Bridges

These are the living bridges made from tree roots in Cherrapunji, India.

Five hundred or so years ago, locals discovered a way to shape the roots of the Ficus Elastica tree (commonly known as the rubber tree) in a way that could provide the strength and support necessary for bridging rivers.

The rubber tree's roots branch off the trunk higher up and cascade down in large fan shapes to the ground where they take root. To make the bridge, locals used hollowed out betel nut tree trunks as guides to direct the roots over the river and keep them from fanning out. When the roots grow to reach the other side they're directed down to the soil where they take root and anchor themselves. Over time, the roots grow thicker, stronger, and deeper, making ideal supports for a sturdy platform.

Root bridges can take ten to fifteen years of growth before they reach the capacity to carry people's weight. But, once they are established and matured, these root bridges continue to become stronger and stronger to the point where some can support the weight of fifty people or more. And, as the trees become relied upon for supporting these important transportation routes, the locals tend to them and have a vested interest in making sure they remain healthy. Another good example of the powerful symbiotic relationships people can have with other living things.

For more info about rootbridges see rootbridges.blogspot.com

Chuckanut Tree Office

Chuckanut Tree Office

Peter Frazier has an office in the woods that would make any treehouse enthusiast take notice. The design has glass on three sides and is positioned on a cantilevered deck that looks over the densely forested shores of Chuckanut Bay in Bellingham, Washington.

In Lifehacker, Peter describes his motivation for building this office getaway:

Like many in the computer industry, I graduated from college thin and fit, but since then, through years of all-nighters, sitting in front of my screen for long hours, and a rich diet I became overweight. I went from 190 to 242 pounds as I grew into each role: graphic designer, user interface designer, customer experience researcher, businessperson, husband, father, and community member. Last Fall I said, "Enough already!"

Recently I decided that working standing up would help me live a more active life. It's worked. Along with meditating, running, hiking, and kayaking, working standing up (with hourly interludes of pushups, situps or yoga) I've dropped 30 pounds. My thinking is clearer for longer and you're more likely to find me with things in perspective.

A few points that I like about his design:

First, although on stilts, this cantilevered deck design works well in trees -- especially on steep hillsides like the one pictured. Understandably, mature healthy trees aren't always available when and where you need them, and when this is the case, I find the stilt method is a good second choice.

Second, Peter has included a minimal style railing around the deck. This steel post and cable design is very good for providing an uninterupted view from inside; however, it has some drawbacks. I've had experience with this type of railing, then switched to a traditional solid wood railing, and I can report that the deck feels much larger with the solid wood railing. I think it has something to do with our natural reservation about getting near the edge with the cable type, whereas the solid wood railing allows one to lean right up and experience the whole deck right to the edge with more of a sense of security.

Third, the point Peter makes about ones perspective changing from a treehouse / treeoffice is not to be understated. I believe that ones mental 'head space' and ones physical 'work space' are interconnected. Changing one creates change in the other, and the space Peter has created seems to me to be awe inspiring to say the least.

Arbo-Architecture & Botany Building Treehouses

Arbo-Architecture & Botany Building Treehouses

Three architects from Germany -- Ferdinand Ludwig, Oliver Storz, and Hannes Schwertfeger -- are experimenting with a new specialty they call "building botany." The idea is to use fast growing trees to create a living structure to support buildings such as houses.

First, the architects build a conventional support structure. Young, flexible trees are attached to the structure and bent into the desired shape. As the trees grow, they take on more and more of a load-bearing function. After a few years -- and what Ludwig calls a "botanical certificate of fitness" inspection by a structural engineer -- the support structure can be removed. At which point the roof and floors that have been inserted should be supported entirely by the trees. (via Spiegel Online)

Some of the main points any treehouse builder can take away from this work:

1) Careful management of sap flow and bark integrity is essential to keep the trees alive. There is the "risk of strangulation" if metal fasteners used to bind the trunks obstruct the flow of sap. The architects have utilized a "sap bypass" method, using grafted in branches like heart bypass surgery, to route around choke points and keep the various parts of the structure alive.

2) It is necessary to stress the tree trunk with weights and changing forces so the trees sway in different directions and grow strong enough to become a structural support.

3) Stainless steel tubing is used to form a scaffold to define the shape of the building and provide a method for bending and forming the trees. Stainless steel, or galvanized steel, is a good choice because they will not rust nor poison the tree itself. The tubes are often enveloped into the trees and become enmeshed into the living structure. Once the trees have become strong enough to support the structure on their own, the steel tube scaffold can be removed and only the trees remain as the sole load bearing structure.

4) Trees such as Basket Willows are preferred for their speed of growth and flexibility to bend into various shapes. Willows are also robust enough to readily permit grafting, or "welding" the trees together, to merge to become a single organism.

I think that the integration of trees into the actual building structure is an unusual approach, and it does require a lot of extra time and planning. And there is also the issue of extra work in ongoing care and attention. This form of building a home is similar to maintaining an ornamental garden -- constant meticulous maintenance is required "or else everything turns back into shrubbery," Ludwig says.

However, the elasticity and regenerative qualities of trees continues to make them a high-tech, renewable, and eco-friendly material of choice for innovative architectural design.

via Designboom, Spiegel Online, and Inhabitat

Hackberry Auto House

Hackberry Auto House

Another testament to the strength and perseverance of trees.

This is a Japanese hackberry tree, which sprouted from a seed dropped in a junkyard by a bird, and after 25 years, has managed to lift a car in the air.

Various other parts are arrayed around the trunk as branches of the tree grew through holes in old car doors, lifting those as well.

"Workers at the junkyard have built a small fence around the tree, and are protecting it as it continues to grow," says James of Japan Probe. (via boingboing)

Goats inTreehouses

Goats inTreehouses

In my usual web browsing today I found a piece about goats and treehouses. Turns out these animals love treehouses, towers, and any other structure they can climb to get up off the ground and survey their surroundings.

The first image is of an elevated goat pen. The goats at Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark, California enjoy using the treehouse to walk along planks and get above the visitors. Who's gawking now!

Second image is from David Johnson of Findlay, Ill. who built a 31-ft. tall, 7-ft. diameter goat tower for his tribe of 34 Saanen milk goats. "Goats are the most curious animals in the world" Johnson says, "so they use the tower a lot. They come and go, passing each other on the ramp as needed. . . People often ask if any goats ever fall off the tower, and I always tell them the answer is no because goats are very sure-footed. Once in a while we do get freezing rain, and then I use a portable torch to melt the ice from the steps." Link to interview.

Third image is from flickr user Desert Debz at the Lincoln Children's Zoo. Its a pygmy goat lounging on an elevated platform that's part of a system of skyways.

And a parting pun: Hey, goats are kids, too. If we can have fun in treehouses, so can they.

Yellow Treehouse from New Zealand

Yellow Treehouse from New Zealand

Interesting marketing / sponsorship / restaurant / architectural collaboration going on in New Zealand.

This treehouse was a commissioned work by Yellow Pages as the set for a 'reality' TV advertisement.

Pacific Environments Architects was called upon to design an in-the-trees functioning restaurant in a Redwood tree (over 40m high and 1.7m diameter at the base) on a site north of Auckland.

According to the Pacific Environments Architects website the Architectural Concept was to builds an open, light, organic form in the trees:

The tree-house concept is reminiscent of childhood dreams and playtime, fairy stories of enchantment and imagination . It's inspired through many forms found in nature -the chrysalis/cocoon protecting the emerging butterfly/moth, perhaps an onion/garlic clove form hung out to dry. It is also seen as a lantern, a beacon at night that simply glows yet during the day it might be a semi camouflaged growth, or a tree fort that provides an outlook and that offers refuge.The plan form also has loose similarities to a sea shell with the open ends spiralling to the centre.

Details of the construction:

It sits almost 10m wide and over 12m high, with the split-level floor sitting 10m off the ground. Timber trusses form the main structure. The curved fins are glue-laminated pine, plantation poplar has been used for the slats and redwood milled from the site used in the walkway balustrading. Openings are formed for windows by leaving spaces between the slats/fins that keeps the overall form yet affords a variety of openness for the views and light and closes down toward the rear. To loosen the regularity of the elements, steel is wrapped arbitrarily around the pod. Tying this up at the top and base has a sense of greater connection with the tree.

It is designed to be weather resistant using acrylic sheeting fixed to the roof under the fins with vertical roll-down cafe-style blinds within. Lighting is an important architectural component enhancing and changing the mood, with discreet lighting within the walkway and up-lighting within the tree house.

The construction was completed in December 2008 and has since opened to the public as a restaurant. The combination marketing approach and tree house design has apparently paid off -- reservations are booked up and another restaurant company is set to take over to operate the yellow treehouse.

What a great collaboration of talent. For more images and media about this project visit the Yellowpages website: Yellow Treehouse Cafe.

One Big Tree

One Big Tree

From Flickr

Urban Treehouse Living with Shipping Containers

Urban Treehouse Living with Shipping Containers

For more on the 'treeless treehouse' theme, German designer Lars Behrendt has conceived of an incredible tower called the Lotto Turm.

The tower uses 55 shipping containers stacked up into the shape of an urban residential and office space treehouse.

The structure is designed to look as organic as possible with a spiral pathway that circles around the building and plant gardens that will accentuate the varied vertical landscape.

It is proposed to be located in the center of Stuttgart, Germany, in the centre of a roundabout called Oesterreichischer Platz which, for the last 40 years, has been used as a parking lot.

The shipping container design also creates a noise-free courtyard, relying on elevation and shape to dampen the nearby traffic sounds, and is intended as a low cost way to increase the usefulness of this underutilized paved space.

Article via designboom

Treehouse Related Injury Statistics

Treehouse Related Injury Statistics

Medical researchers in Ohio published statistics showing that in the US 2,800 children a year are hurt in treehouse related accidents. The injuries ranged from bruises to broken bones, but all were serious enough to send the children to the emergency room.

To put this statistic into perspective: Other research found treehouse injuries to be far less common than playground injuries, which account for about 200,000 emergency-room visits a year. And tie racks and clothes hangers sent about the same number of people (2,956) to the emergency room in 2007.

There are some simple techniques anyone can use to lessen the chance of treehouse injuries:

• Build the treehouse 10 feet or less from the ground
• Add several inches of soft mulch around the base of the treehouse as a cushion
  
• Use solid 38-inch-high barriers and guardrails
• Demonstrate the use of rope tie-ins and other safety techniques for tree climbing

And, one of the most important ways to minimize the chances of childhood injury -- whether in treehouse or anywhere else in life -- is to familiarize your kids with the idea of managing acceptable risk. This is a long-term approach to child raising with the goal of empowering kids to make informed decisions regarding their own safety and therefore be responsible for the consequences of their own actions.

Sometimes kids have to fail to learn that lesson. So, let them fall 8 feet onto soft bark mulch and get a bruise. Its a much better education than keeping them 'safely' indoors all day.

Article via Chicago Tribune

Takasugi-an: Tea Tree House

Takasugi-an: Tea Tree House

Takasugi-an, which means means "a tea house [built] too high" located in Chino, Nagano Prefecture, Japan (photos by Edmund Sumner via Dezeen Blog).

Takasugi-an was built by Terunobu Fujimori, a tea master, who has an interest in architecture and wished to push the limit and constraints of a traditional teahouse. I think it's a good example of a small yet beautiful design for the purpose of escape, meditation, and reflection -- a perfect setting for the Japanese tea ceremony.

The tea masters traditionally maintained total control over the construction of these "enclosures," whose simplicity was their main concern. They therefore preferred not to involve an architect or even a skilled carpenter - an act considered as being too ostentatious. Following this tradition, Fujimori decided to build a humble teahouse for himself, and by himself, over a patch of land that belonged to his family.

One of the interesting points is the method Fujimori used to support the tea tree house. Rather than build in existing live trees, he instead chose to harvest two Chestnut trees from a local mountain and install the trunks like irregular poles to support his creation.



The choice of non-living trees for support affords a few luxuries in the building process. For one, the builder can position the home anywhere that suits his desire rather than rely on nature's placement. Second, the trunks are static in the sense that they're dead wood like the rest of the building materials, and therefore, may be integrated directly with the house structure itself. Tying a living trunk into a plaster covered wall (picture on the right) is not possible due to the constant movement and growth of the living tree. But in Fujimori's design it works quite well.

Once inside the room, which is padded simply with plaster and bamboo mats, the architect's adventurous spirit gives way to the serenity more suited to the purpose of making tea and calming one's mind.

Ecocoon Treehouse Concept

Ecocoon Treehouse Concept

Ecocoons are an eco retreat variation on the treehouse by London based architect Mathieu Collos.

His design features a split level floorspace with different wall and floor orientations intended to optimize views and the interestness of the space. This also permits the use of full sized opening panels for terraced viewing and ventilation in the warmer months.

A single tree trunk is the foundation of the design, and is included as an interior element like a rough and rounded wall. The pentagonal structure of the cocoon is made from insulated panels with fiberglass or metal exteriors. Like in my previous post, this choice of materials can be lightweight and durable for a minimal impact on the tree.

The structure is hung with steel cables from branches above it, however no details on the precise mounting method. Another point of criticism I have is that the tree trunck looks to have a gasket around where it meets the roof. This is a no win design choice: It is impossible to make a seal between the trunck and a roof that stops the weather. The bark is an irregular soggy sponge that continuously expands over time, and if the seal bites into the bark deeply, the tree will die.

I like the concept and the design, but I'd situate it in two or more trees to make it more realistic year-round lodging option.

Reflective Skin Treehouse

Reflective Skin Treehouse

New computer generated images of the Harad's tree hotel designed by Sweden's Tham & Videgard Hansson Arkitekter have been released.

The Harad's is an aluminum skinned cube set in a single tree. The choice of exterior materials makes sense: aluminium is light weight, weather resistant, and can be polished to a mirror shine.

This reflective characteristic of the skin makes it blend in with the environment much like a hunting blind. I would expect it will provide a great views of the local wildlife and stay cool in the hot summer months.

The plan calls for a small kitchen, terrace, living area and sleeping area. The bathroom will likely be located on the ground somewhere nearby -- a situation common for most treehouses.

My own impression is that there is a stark visual contrast between the pure abstract form of the silver cube with the surrounding forest. I'd be interested to see what lessons are learned from this prototype and if the idea can be applied to building treehouses with more organic curves and rounded shapes.

Linda Aldredge's Treehouse

Linda Aldredge's Treehouse

Linda Aldredge's built this awesome treehouse in Catskill near Woodstock, New York. Inhabitat.com interviewed Linda and posted the talk about her motivations for building this perfect get-away from life in the Big Apple.

How did you come upon the idea of building a treehouse? What was your inspiration?

The idea was actually my friend Su Barber's. Late one night, she and I got to talking about what I was going to do with my land and she suggested a treehouse. When she suggested a treehouse I'm pretty sure she meant a platform in the trees with a canvas tarp for a roof or something really simple. But I got all fired up about it and starting researching treehouses. The more I read the more inspired I was.

I was also really inspired by the Handmade Houses books published in the 70's. I like to think my group of friends upstate and in the city are having their own movement of DIY architecture and building. I am constantly inspired by my friends.

What were the requirements/ restraints of the plan?

Money was the biggest restraint, my original budget was $12k and for the most part we stuck to that. I splurged on little things like copper flashing but with a 100 sq ft house it didn't really add up. I was also trying to avoid any subcontracting of others -- no foundation, no septic, no well -- because I couldn't afford these things. The 'off the grid' aspect was something I was really excited by for obvious reasons but no one really ever talks about the fact that it's SO much cheaper (for a little house like mine).

This is a house I simply can't afford to keep up. I can't afford to heat it in winter, which most cabins have to be in upstate otherwise you'll have burst pipes, etc. I can't afford a mortgage. I can't afford water and septic costs. I can't afford property taxes. It had to be sustainable. Just the very nature of my life forces me to choose this option.

Read more of Linda Aldredge's Treehouse Interview at Inhabitat.com

Madison Square Tree Huts

Madison Square Tree Huts

New York's Madison Square Garden has taken on unique treehouse feel lately due to an art exhibition by Tadashi Kawamata called Madison Square Tree Huts.

The show is a gathering of small wooden houses up in the trees, and folks passing through the park gain the sense of wonderment that these small structures trigger and shake up our notion of urban space, rural romanticism, and play.

A common question levelled at the project is: "Will the Tree Huts harm the host trees?" The answer is no: Tadashi Kawamata has honed a few techniques that allow him to temporarily build in trees without damaging them.

The unique attachment system involves wrapping tree branches in a rubber sheath and using heavy-duty racheting straps to secure the lumber to the wrapped sections. This way, Tadashi protects the trees' sensitive bark and ensures that under no circumstances is the tree bark penetrated, scraped off or otherwise harmed.

Wilkinson Residence Models Treehouse Elegance

Wilkinson Residence Models Treehouse Elegance

Robert Harvey Oshatz, Architect has designed a home called the 'Wilkinson Residence', after the owners, in Portland Oregon.

"Located on a flag lot and a fast sloping grade provided the opportunity to bring the main level of the house into the tree canopy to evoke the feeling of being in a tree house."

Its a nice example of how very high end architectural design can succeed by appealing to simple back-to-nature treehouse principles.

Berkeley Treehouse Protesters Hemmed In

Berkeley Treehouse Protesters Hemmed In

As previously posted, a long-running dispute continues between UC Berkeley and protesters over the proposed construction of an athletic training center on the location where a grove of old redwood trees currently stand.

Four protesters have been living in a treehouse perched in one of the redwood trees while their law suit to prevent the construction continues. Yesterday, arborists were brought in to cut branches on the redwood under the treehouse, and on trees next to it, in order to make it harder for the protesters to move around.

"There is still a court order in effect protecting those trees, so by cutting the branches they are in violation of the order," said a protester who gave her name as Dumpster Muffin. University spokesman Dan Mogulof responded that the court order barring the school from cutting down the trees to start construction did not apply to pruning for safety measures.

Arborists also tore down some tarps on the treehouse because they were worried the protesters could be hiding excrement that they might dump on workers on the ground. Police Chief Victoria Harrison rode in a cherry picker close to the redwood to explain to those living in the treehouse "that they would not be forcibly removed," Mogulof said.