Treehouse Made to Co-exist in With the Trees That Surround it

Once upon a time, treehouses were considered just a play room for kids, but lately they have been gaining popularity as vacation houses and even-full time homes. And for good reason, since it’s hard to imagine a more fun way to live then up in a tree. The South African architecture firm Malan Vorster have recently completed this great example of treehouse architecture. It is located in a Cape Town, South Africa suburb.

The home has one bedroom, and was placed on stilts on the highest point in the clearing where it stands, in order to provide the best views. The layout of the home is quite interesting. The core of the structure is a square, while there are also a total of four semi-circular bays jutting out. The center of each of the circles features a four-part column and a circular ring out of which steel arms branch out to support the floor beams above. They used laser-cut and folded Corten steel plate for these, and they made it look a lot like a tree, in an effort to find that balance between man made things and nature.

These steel arms support the timber floor beams, as well as the facade glazing and the building envelope which was made using western red cedar. Brass components were used to create the connections between the steel and the timber. They also left all the materials used in the build untreated to allow them to weather naturally just like the trees that surround the home. The contrast between the metal and wood is also quite striking, and really brings to mind the complex relationship between man and nature.

The treehouse features plenty of glazing, which allows the residents to feel like they’re part of the nature surrounding it. The contrast between the metal and wood is also quite striking, and really brings to mind the complex relationship between man and nature.

[source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/jetson_green/~3/sr8szMBZb04/treehouse-made-to-co-exist-in-with-the-trees-that-surround-it.html]