Tree house modern
7 modern tree houses to spark your childhood imagination
Written by Sarah Molano, CNN
Elevated high above the ground, tree houses are familiar symbols of childhood magic and adventure.
Architect Peter Eising remembers how they captured his imagination as a child. He would scavenge for broken branches, twine and abandoned construction materials to build his own makeshift structures up in the trees.
Today, Eising is managing director of Architects Pacific Environments, a design firm focused on sustainable architecture and interiors. And in 2008, he got the chance to live out his childhood dreams when musician Tracey Collins enlisted him to design The Yellow Treehouse -- a chrysalis-inspired restaurant built halfway up a redwood tree north of Auckland -- as part of a marketing campaign for New Zealand's Yellow Pages.
The Yellow Treehouse in New Zealand. Credit: Courtesy of Images Publishing Group
"Tree houses will always retain their place in alternative architecture form," Eising said via email. "(They're) a reminder of opportunities to explore that take us back to nature, the emotional connection with childhood and exploration, and sparks of excitement as a point of difference in the way we perceive building enclosure and protection."
The new book "Tree Houses: Escape to the Canopy," which features an introduction by Eising, brings together some of the most awe-inspiring modern tree houses from around the world. Here are seven that sit at the crossroads of imagination and sophisticated engineering.
The 7th Room by Snöhetta, Harads, Sweden
Courtesy of Images Publishing Group
Northern Sweden is home to the pioneering Treehotel, which comprises a series of cabins built between 13 and 33 feet above the forest floor. Perhaps the most eye-catching of them is the hotel's so-called "7th Room."
With a dark wooden facade supported by 12 columns, the elevated tree house has a large pine growing through its center. The interior, meanwhile, features ash wood flooring and birch plywood walls.
Guests have access to a sleek lounge for social gatherings, two minimalist bedrooms with expansive skylights, and a terrace with views of the Lule River Valley.
Complete with a north-facing floor-to-ceiling window, the 7th Room's living area has been nicknamed the "Northern Lights Lounge," as visitors may catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis on a clear night.
Evans Tree House by Modus Studio, Arkansas, USA
Courtesy of Images Publishing Group
This tree house, found in the University of Arkansas' Garvan Woodland Gardens, is "part of an ambitious plan to bring children back into the woods," according to the attraction's website. Inspired by dendrology (the study of trees and wooded plants), the structure's exterior is a semi-transparent shell made from 113 yellow pinewood "ribs" that allow air and sunlight to spill inside.
The unusual, almost conical shape was designed to evoke an atmosphere of mystery -- and to inspire both children and adults to explore the pines and oaks of the surrounding Evans Children's Adventure Garden.
Inside, the structure serves as an observation deck, with interior staircases leading to four separate levels. Each represents a different part of a tree: trunk, branches, leaves and fruit or flowers.
Arctic TreeHouse Hotel by Studio Puisto, Rovaniemi, Finland
Courtesy of Images Publishing Group
Located inside the Arctic Circle, this Finnish hotel features north-facing glass walls for visitors hoping to catch the northern lights. The individual buildings were made almost entirely off-site, before being transported to the forest and lifted onto pillars, helping to limit the environmental impact of construction.
The architects behind the project, Studio Puisto, also used renewable Finnish wood and installed a "green" roof, which is covered in vegetation that helps manage runoff.
Depending on the time of year, the rooms offers views of snow-covered forests or lush green foliage. The cabins offer a variety of amenities, from fireplaces and kitchenettes to saunas and -- for those staying in the exclusive ArcticScene Executive Suite -- an entire spa.
Casa Flotante (Floating House) by Talleresque, Mexico City, Mexico
Courtesy of Images Publishing Group
Known as Casa Flotante (or Floating House), this three-story structure resembles a tree trunk with a staircase wrapping around it. The design makes use of several floor-to-ceiling windows, which let in light and offer views of the surrounding greenery.
The occupants use the bottom floor as a work and studio space, complete with a drum set, guitars and speakers, while a bathroom and bedroom are found on the second and third floors respectively.
The tree house's exterior staircase features hanging plants and oversized windows, helping blur the distinction between indoors and out.
Løvtag Treetop Cabins by Sigurd Larsen, Hadsund, Denmark
Courtesy of Images Publishing Group
Large trees grow through the center of each cabin at the Løvtag hotel in Denmark's North Jutland. The three contemporary tree houses allow visitors to feel close to nature as they gaze through floor-to-ceiling windows, while the design nods to Nordic minimalism through clean white walls and light wooden accents.
With an emphasis on sustainability, the cabins incorporate thermally modified wood and recycled metal. Inside, the single-story structures feature a small kitchen, a queen-size bed and a sofa bed, as well as a bathroom with a private outdoor shower.
Visitors can follow a staircase up to a roof terrace before taking in the sights and smells of the surrounding forests.
Black Cabin by La Cabane Perchée, Tuscany, Italy
Courtesy of Images Publishing Group
Sitting on an olive and lavender farm in Viterbo, Italy, this 23-foot-tall tree house is built around a 200-year-old maritime pine. But it has been carefully designed so that the tree remains untouched, while still providing inhabitants with natural shade.
"The owners wanted to explore the idea of a tree house being more than a fable or figment of imagination, and have created what they describe as an eco-loft, suspended from the tree," wrote to the authors of "Tree Houses: Escape to the Canopy.
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Inside, designer Claudia Pelizzari's interiors contain a mix of glass, black steel and Canadian cedar wood, as well as a shower decorated in marble and crystal.
From an expansive deck, occupants can soak up the surrounding Cimini Hills and the distant Tyrrhenian Sea.
Constantia Treehouse, by Malan Vorster Architecture Interior Design, Cape Town, South Africa
Courtesy of Images Publishing Group
The Constantia Treehouse was not, in fact, built into a tree -- but it certainly resembles one.
The three-story cylindrical structure mixes steel and warm wood surfaces, with plenty of sunlight penetrating the tall glass-paneled exterior. According to the authors of "Tree Houses: Escape to the Canopy," the design was inspired by the work of famed architects Louis Kahn and Kengo Kuma, among others.
The first floor features a spacious living area and kitchen, decked out in shades of gray, blue and yellow. A winding staircase leads to the second-floor bedroom, where the bed faces huge open windows.
The top floor meanwhile houses a roof deck with built-in seating, offering visitors unrivaled views of Constantia, a famed wine-growing region in the suburbs of Cape Town.
"Tree Houses: Escape to the Canopy," by Images Publishing, is available now.
16 Unbelievable Tree Houses We're Pining Over
Few dwellings capture the imagination like tree houses—and when they're designed by talented architects, the effect is positively enchanting. These 20 tree houses pack in fantastical features ranging from bicycle-powered elevators to metal slides and built-in hammocks perfect for stargazing.
World of Living by Baumraum
This fascinating tree house was created for the World of Living show park, a space dedicated to displaying contemporary prefab home design. Located in Rheinau-Linx, Germany, the tree house rests on seven slanted larch support beams and features a round, futuristic shape.
Founded in 2003 by Andreas Wenning, the German design firm Baumraum has built over 50 perched spaces across the world, continuously offering clients of all ages an intimate and adventurous way to connect with nature.
Each tree house built by the firm is entirely custom-designed, taking the site plan into account, as well as the wellbeing of the trees. To reduce impact at the site, the team prefabricates many of the houses, arranging them so that the surrounding trees’ roots aren’t harmed.
Austin Treehouse by Ryan Street Architects
Set atop stilts designed to resemble tree branches, the tree house is clad in reclaimed Douglas fir and mirrored panels that reflect the surroundings.
To create a tree house on their property, one Austin family looked to their daughter’s artwork for design inspiration. The project started out as a backyard playhouse for the couple’s two daughters—but then it took off and went above and beyond everyone’s wildest dreams.
Brisbane Treehouse by Phorm Architecture + Design
The triangular shape comes from the owners’ desire to not completely fill the backyard area, while also accommodating the stately, deciduous tree at the center of the space.
When Phorm Architecture + Design was asked to design a backyard extension for a young Australian couple, they were stepping into uncharted territory. Designed to be a "weekender in the backyard," the 452-square-foot tree house takes a grown-up approach to the classic children’s club house.
Upper Tree House by Jay Nelson
Woven into a stand of redwoods on Jason Titus and Nerija Sinkevičiūtė-Titus’s property in the Santa Cruz Mountains, a tree house by San Francisco designer/artist Jay Nelson gives the couple and their three boys a new perspective on the forest.
This tree house, designed by Jay Nelson, is not like any tree house you grew up with. Weaving through a stand of redwoods, it carries all the inimitable charms of the San Francisco artist’s imaginative, woodsy, and weatherworn aesthetic. (His previous work includes a camper built on the back of a Subaru Brat and a small rough-hewn home on Kauai.) Made mostly of reclaimed wood, it looks like a ship lost in an ocean of trees.
Playa Viva by ArtisTree
On the Pacific coast in southern Mexico, ArtisTree created a tree house in an eco-resort called Playa Viva, where construction and sourcing of sustainable materials proved to be a challenge. They created a solution that included using an extensive amount of bamboo, local stone, and hand-held power tools to create a 700-square-foot, two-level tree house that offers impressive views of the ocean.
When it comes to designing tree houses, Texas-based ArtisTree looks to local, natural materials for both design inspiration and construction materials. Their unique tree houses, which are thoughtfully sited for breathtaking views of the landscape, combine sustainable features with hospitality design. They create escapes that are small in size, but boast a powerful connection to the local environment.
Flying Pigsty by Amir Sanei
The Flying Pigsty provides the perfect place for young boys–or pigs with wings–to wile away summer afternoons.
Those looking for a more down-to-earth option might consider wallowing in a pigsty, which is essentially what designer Amir Sanei constructed for his two sons.
The cofounder of London-based Sanei Hopkins Architects, Sanei based the design on a "pig ark," a simple metal dome used to house pigs, which are abundant on farms surrounding his house in Suffolk.
4TREEHOUSE by Lukasz Kos
The 4TREEHOUSE features a futuristic illuminated facade that looks like something straight out of a science fiction movie.
The 4TREEHOUSE is a two-ton, 410-square-foot tree house suspended 20 feet off the ground from steel airline cables anchored to four tree trunks. Toronto-based architect Lukasz Kos says, "This was really a parameter-driven project. That is, I had to let the trees decide how the house would be."
Pinecone by O2 Tree House
The Pincecone tree house is accessed via a steep wooden ladder and a trap door that unfolds down from the top.
Oakland-based O2 Tree House uses steel, wood, and glass to create tiny pincecone-shaped homes that look like ornaments hanging from from the treetops. Best of all, they’re available for purchase, so you can create your own forest getaway.
Woodnest Treehouses by Helen & Hard Architects
Designed by Helen & Hard Architects, Woodnest is a pair of rentable dwellings suspended from living trees in Odda, Norway.
Helen & Hard Architects say the tree house design is "inspired by the Norwegian cultural traditions of vernacular timber architecture and a desire to experiment with the material potential of wood." The structure utilizes a central steel collar that wraps around the tree, and a series of glue-laminated timber ribs extend outward in a radial design.
Pigna Tree House by Claudio Beltrame
Located in the woods of Malborghetto Valbruna in the Italian Dolomite commune of Tarvisio, this egg-shaped tree house appears to hover in midair like a giant pinecone.
This egg-shaped wonder is located in Malga Priu, a mountain farmhouse retreat in Tarvisio, Italy. Claudio Beltrame and DomusGaia designed the tree house with three levels and a smooth, round facade that’s inspired by pine cones.
Free Spirit Spheres by Tom Chudleigh
"You really get the sense that you are just floating up there in a different world," remarks Tom Chudleigh, a designer and the founder of Free Spirit Spheres.
Free Spirit Spheres are the ultimate wanderlust retreats. The spherical dwellings are suspended in midair, however they offer all the comforts of home—including electricity, appliances, and plumbing.
Bicycle Elevator Tree House by Ethan Schussler
Ethan Schussler built his first tree house at 12 years old. His tree house in Sandpoint, Idaho, sits 30 feet above the ground and can be accessed by an "elevator" consisting of a bicycle that, when pedaled, ascends a pulley system to the top.
Idaho native Ethan Schussler has been obsessed with tree houses since he was young. Although Schussler lives off the grid and pays little attention to pop culture, his tree house went viral when he uploaded a short clip of himself riding his "bicycle elevator" into the sky.
The video has since reached 2.1 million views, and it has been picked up by major news outlets such as CNN and Fox News.
Qiyunshan Tree House by Bengo Studio
The exterior is vertically clad in timber to complement the spiraling design and surrounding red cedar trees.
Nestled in the forest next to Qiyun Mountain in China, Bengo Studio’s tree house hotel features staggering cantilevered rooms. Guests can mimic the experience of climbing through the surrounding cedar trees by exploring different vantage points across each of the stacked rooms. The hotel stands 118 feet tall, so it doesn’t exceed the height of the surrounding trees.
The Woodman’s Tree House by Guy Mallinson and Keith Brownlie
The Woodman’s Tree House stands interwoven into the landscape in Dorset as part of a larger luxury camping site.
If you’ve ever wanted to live like Tarzan, then this whimsical tree house in Dorset is for you. Designed by Guy Mallinson and Keith Brownlie, the tree house is thoughtfully planned with playful details from top to bottom.
Atop the retreat you’ll find a hot tub, and down past the spiral staircase you’ll find a metal slide that takes you down to the ground level.
Tree House by Atelier Victoria Migliore
The deck of Atelier Victoria Migliore’s tree house in France has two swings attached.
This tree house in France by Atelier Victoria Migliore wraps itself around the surrounding pines. The charcoal exterior makes a strong statement, while playful features such as suspended nets and swings add a touch of whimsy.
Sustainability Tree House by Mithun
Visitors learn about energy and water conservation as they climb outdoor staircases that lead from the forest floor to the 125-foot-high rooftop rising above the leaf canopy.
Designed for the Boy Scouts of America, the Sustainability Tree House atop Mount Hope in West Virginia informs visitors about conservation and the environment. Even the staircases feature factoids to read while climbing the next level.
Treehotel by Snøhetta
To reduce the load of the trees and minimize the building’s impact on the forest, 12 columns support the cabin.
One tree stretches up through the net, emphasizing the connection to the outdoors.
This Swedish getaway by Snøhetta offers towering views and a pine-printed base that conceals its appearance when viewed from below. A double-layered mesh net surrounded by glass walls provides the perfect spot for stargazing.
Yoki House by Will Beilharz
ArtisTree’s cabin towers 25 feet above a stream, and it’s anchored by ropes, chains, and cables.
This Texas tree house was inspired by the ravine that lies below. The Yoki House is named after the Hopi word for rain, and it incorporates a soaking tub with views of a babbling creek. "Water is life—one of our most precious resources, and ArtisTree tree houses are designed to let people experience nature’s resources more intimately," says designer Will Beilharz.
Quebrada House by UNarquitectura
"Quebrada House" translates to Ravine House and speaks to how the design was inspired by the landscape.
Chilean firm UNarquitectura designed the Quebrada House to stand on stilts, thus preserving the surrounding ecosystem.
The home’s open living areas feature expansive windows that frame views of the surrounding foliage.
Inhabit Tree House by Antony Gibbons Designs
This quaint cabin operates completely off the grid with no internet access.
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Build your own large modular Minecraft™ style treehouse! Build 4 main rooms - kitchen, library, study and bedroom - and then add amazing accessories (just be careful with explosives!). Rooms don't even have to be attached to a tree! Each new build option with tons of fun features from the video game will take you on a new Minecraft adventure.
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Tree houses: 10 amazing projects They chose the most amazing ones in terms of design, location and history
Photo: Kiyoharu Art Village
Historically, people built tree houses to protect themselves from enemies and from the elements.
In the modern world, there are other ways, now tree houses are more like entertainment. In such a house it is good to remember childhood or immerse yourself in observing nature. nine0003
Treehouses can be pole houses, when the building is supported by special fortifications from the ground, or bolted: the structure is attached to the trunk with special bolts. The rarest way to organize a tree house is hanging. In this case, the house is attached to the branches on metal cables, and it almost floats above the ground.
Photo: nendo.jp
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A link between old and new times
A tree house in the Belgian city of Ghent is a replica of a club house for the elderly built in 1950s (although it was made of stone and stood on the ground). Benjamin Verdonk designed a plywood replica and mounted it on a tree with a slight slope, so that the house is often referred to as "turned".
Photo: benjamin-verdonck.be
Officially called Vogelenzangpark 17bis, the project was created for the TRACK Arts Festival.
With his art object, the artist tried to show the connection of generations - through the combination of images of a tree house and a house where elderly people spend their days. It will not work to get inside: the house is located at an angle and is too small. nine0003
Redwood Dinner
This strange onion or basket-shaped structure is a gourmet restaurant. The house is built on a mahogany trunk in Auckland at a height of 12 m and wraps around it like a nest. Walls made of individual planks allow sunlight to enter the room without disturbing guests. The dining room can accommodate 18 people.
Photo: redwoodstreehouse.co.nz
Informally, the restaurant is often called Yellow Treehouse, that is, "Yellow Tree House". In fact, its official name is The Redwoods Treehouse. The confusion stemmed from the fact that the house was built in 2008 as part of a Yellow Pages marketing campaign. When it ended, the building passed into the possession of the owner of the land where the tree grows, and the restaurant changed its name.
Right now it only works for custom events. nine0003
Japanese Tea Tree House
This house in Hokuto, Japan is like a fairy tale. Its pipe looks like a teapot spout, hence the nickname. The house is located on a century-old cypress surrounded by sakura - during their flowering, the atmosphere of magic reaches its limit. The house is made only from natural materials: wood, earth and stone.
Photo: Kiyoharu Art Village
The house is not suitable for tea ceremonies or for visiting. This work of art was created by Japanese architect Terunobu Fujimori solely for visual enjoyment. The building is located on the territory of the Kiyoharu Art Village, which used to be an elementary school, but has now become a haven for museums and art objects. nine0003
Pine cone suspended above the ground
Most often, tree houses are built, supporting them with beams from the ground. And a glass cone in California hangs from branches.
O2 Treehouse is a bedroom (in the form of the same cone) and a small area with a staircase where amenities are located.
Photo: @thepineconeseries/O2 Treehouse/Facebook.com
The 5.5 ton cabin is suspended from six huge redwood trees by metal cables. Almost all walls are made of glass - thus, a person inside the structure gets a feeling of levitation, or hovering above the ground. You can rent a treehouse for a day and spend one or more nights there. nine0003
Three floors on a tree
Modern architects have learned to install structures so strong that they build several floors on one trunk. This is what happened in British Columbia, Canada.
Photo: behalafolie via IG/Twitter.com
The 15 m high three-story house is part of a children's amusement park. This explains the huge fly agaric growing next to the stairs and the “villains” and “princesses” walking around. The house itself was built in the 1960s.
Inspired From Above
This home in Crossville, Tennessee only lasted until 2019.
It reached a height of 30 m. Legend has it that God himself called to build his priest Horace Burgess during prayer. It happened in 1993.
Photo: Shutterstock
The building turned out to be really massive, it was supported by several mighty oaks, as well as supports from the ground. The owner added rooms to the house for 14 years. The house has always been open to visitors - after all, it was built, as the owner believed, as a result of divine revelation, which means that everyone can use it. But a few years later, the fire department closed the building to the public, considering it unsafe: it consisted entirely of wood. And in 2019the house really burned to the ground in just 15 minutes.
Airplane on a tree
The creators of The Hotel Costa Verde in Costa Rica managed to "plant" an entire plane on a tree, making it a hotel suite. A decommissioned 1960 Boeing 727 is the main attraction of the hotel. It is because of him that the hotel gets into the lists of the most unusual places to stay from year to year.
Photo: costaverde.com
You can spend the night on the plane with the whole family: inside there are two bedrooms, each with a separate bathroom, there is a kitchenette; two view terraces were installed nearby. The hotel is located right in the jungle, so guests can get to know the inhabitants of the jungle, such as a colony of monkeys, sloths and toucans. nine0003
Photo: costaverde.com
Night under the stars in the reserve
The house on a 500-year-old tree is already impressive, and even in the open air and on the territory of the reserve ... Sabi Sand Game Reserve boasts luxurious rooms with such characteristics, located on the territory of the reserve next to the Kruger National Park in South Africa.
Photo: Lion Sands Game Reserve – Sabi Sand Game Reserve
The land is owned by private individuals who are willing to let tourists on safari and provide them with the unique experience of sleeping next to wild animals.
Previously, the building was used as an observation tower, now a suite has been placed inside. nine0003
The largest tree house
In the British town of Alnwick there is a garden of the same name, which has many noteworthy objects - and a garden in which only poisonous plants are grown, and a water cascade, and a bamboo maze, and a tree house with an area of more than 560 square meters . m.
Photo: alnwickgarden.com
The mixed timber structure was built around 16 lime trees. The house accommodates a restaurant for 120 people, a shop and a cafe. Despite the non-trivial location, the house is convenient for visitors with limited mobility - it has received several awards for comfortable access for people with disabilities. nine0003
Bird Watching Center
A tree house for one person and several dozen birds was ordered by the Momofuko Ando Center in Japan from a renowned design bureau. The organization aims to promote outdoor recreation and related activities.
