Amazing Tree Houses From All Over the World
I spent a lot of time as a kid high up in the branches of a gigantic maple tree, on a simple platform made from salvaged wood. At the time I couldn’t imagine anything better, or more exclusive. It was a complete retreat. Good thing I had no idea that tree houses could be so mind-bogglingly elaborate.
A new coffee table book, titled Tree Houses (September 2013, Skyhorse Publishing) is 512 pages of bliss for any tree house lover. These are not your typical backyard tree houses. A quick peek will make you feel like you have been transported into some sort of Lord of the Rings life. The book showcases structures from all over the world built into trees or hanging from their branches. They range from functional to outlandish, affordable to expensive — and some are downright bizarre.
The book, available in eight languages, features 400 photographs of 50 distinctive tree houses.
The cover shows a tree house called The Cabin, which is actually a hotel in Sweden. Bridges and a deck lead to the modern structure with views of the Lule River valley.
The TreePi, a 25-foot-high hideaway in Santa Monica, California, is part tepee, part tree house. A series of interior and exterior cables supports the platform, which holds 10 wedge-shaped steel frames.
The canopy is made from recycled sail cloth. The structural “pole” of the tepee is the actual base of the tree.
This Ontario tree house, called 4treehouse, wraps around four trees. One high-strength steel cable is attached to each tree. Two Douglas fir beams are suspended from other cables, creating the platform for the structure.
Others are designed to harmonize with the natural surroundings. Bird Apartment, located in Komoro City, Japan, was designed for the Ando Momofuku Center to promote access to activities in nature. This structure has room for 78 nests and includes an observation deck for one person.
Geo Donar, designed by O2 Treehouse, uses a combination of steel cables and piping to create the support for the structure, and features a hardwood deck. The crisp white enclosure is made out of high-density polyethylene.
The triangular panels include window flaps that open and close using marine zippers. The structure is completely watertight.
Geo Donar is 14 feet in diameter and offers quite a view from an unzipped flap.
The Honey Sphere, also designed by O2 Treehouse, is in Beverly Hills, California. The geometric sphere is supported by steel cables to preserve the integrity of the tree. Each diamond was constructed separately and slipped gently over the tree branches. There are 210 openings, 420 facets and 12 entry and exit points for tree branches.
The interior of the Honey Sphere shows an inlaid floor, with a decorative repeating stenciled pattern.
This suspended structure is part of a series called Weaver’s Nest, in South Africa. The inner structure is steel, and the outer structure is woven from saplings and bark from a variety of trees. All the pieces in the series are designed to hang.
Leafing through this book just might inspire you. It also might make you look at that tree in your backyard in a different light.
Info: Tree Houses, $50 from Skyhorse Publishing
More:
The Most Incredible Kids’ Tree House You’ll Ever See?
11 Home-Away-From-Home Tree Houses
