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BACKGROUND \\
The competition was hosed by ArcTriumph Architecture & Design Competitions, Spring 2014. The project intent was to design a theoretical treehouse anywhere in the world, >50m2 for two people from a nearby city. This design was awarded 3rd place prize.
Published in e-architect.uk.co
This treehouse was designed by Bryan Apito and James Efstathiou in Spring of 2014. Bryan and James teleconferenced for the entirety of the project, utilizing Skype and Dropbox for design sessions. The entire project was designed and visualized in two weeks, after working hours.
BRIEF \\
"The Forest Teahouse will provide a remote sanctuary for a young couple from Osaka, Japan. The site is located in the Yamaguchi Prefecture, which contains some of the last remaining wilderness areas in Japan. Bamboo, a natural element historically rooted in Japanese culture, provides a tranquil forested ambiance for this treehouse retreat.
The vague, disorienting and fanciful nature of the bamboo forest serves as inspiration for the treehouse’s vertical and modular parti. The Forest Teahouse’s pavilion-like structural system is completely independent of the surrounding bamboo. The structure utilizes thin steel columns that sit on concrete pile footings. The trunks and roots of the surrounding forest remain unharmed by this intervention. The treehouse entry sequence gradually winds into the treetops, flanked by rope screens. This focuses the progression upward and provides framed views of the surrounding terrain. The treehouse’s remote location allows the interior spaces to become almost completely transparent. The transparent facade fully allows the couple to experience the nuances of nature from the indoors. Frosted glass panels are used in the lower, more intimate areas of the bathroom and bedroom. This allows comfortable privacy without sacrificing visual connectivity to the outdoors. Programmatic, site and atmospheric constraints shape the building’s form, circulation and appearance.
A modular design enables the treehouse to be completely prefabricated, carried into the remote forest and assembled on site. The thin and lightweight structure pays homage to clusters of tall bamboo trees, allowing the house to further blend into its surroundings.
The main living space is lifted higher than the rest of the treehouse, suggesting a formal programmatic hierarchy. The roof hosts solar panels which power a water heater, water pump and all of the buildings’ electrical needs. Rainwater is collected in a submerged cistern which is used for the sinks, shower and toilet. The cistern and solar panels together allow the treehouse to remain off “the-grid”."
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