Tree House Design
Working on our latest off-grid sustainable project for Elmley Nature Reserve has caused us to flashback to our unusual Tree House Project earlier this year.
We thrive on a project that pushes us beyond convention and our tree house project did just that. The brief was broad; create a versatile, year round summer house within the 19 acre estate. This gave us the scope to choose both a site and style that suited the landscape but was also bold enough to create interest. The tree house was a project which blurred the lines between architecture and landscape architecture with the structure itself being designed in-house as a combination of contemporary vertical lines and more traditional natural materials.
Sustainability was important here with the tree house being constructed from a host of reclaimed, recycled and natural materials as well as being off-grid in nature.
We agreed on a site which nestled the tree house on the trunk of a large oak in a secluded woodland area of the estate. The trunk of the tree was ideally located so that the veranda of the tree house would jut out over the large water body that formed a central feature of the wider landscape.
Never ones to give ourselves an easy time, the site was inaccessible and contained some sensitive ecology on the route up to it therefore all materials had to be carried by hand and assembled on site. The landscape surrounding the tree house itself was sympathetically designed to both enhance the existing woodland features and create framed views out to the wider landscape through the canopy.
The joy of this treehouse is that the location means you can only catch glimpses of it from the surrounding estate. From some aspects, it’s completely hidden and others it hints at something wonderful drawing you in. We have recently been back to see it weathering into the landscape and it is beginning to feel like it has always been there. It is now in regular use as a studio, library, summer house and even an occasionally overnight glamping getaway for kids large and small. We can’t wait to see it change through the seasons.
For more information or photos, see our portfolio page here.
Great focus on sustainability, and reclaimed wood is so fitting for this project! Also seems fitting that this semi-hidden treehouse is so difficult to reach!
Thanks Tabitha. It was a great one to work on.