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Posts Tagged ‘TreeHouse’

Never Grow Up: Man Quits Job, Builds Dream Treehouse Dwelling

13 Feb

[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

dream treehouse 12

Fed up with his fast-paced life in New York City, Foster Huntington quit his job, hopped into a Volkswagen van and traveled around the country before settling in Washington state to build his dream treehouse dwelling complete with a skate bowl and wood-fired soaking tub. The photos alone are enough to make anyone daydream about doing the same. Set against a hazy landscape just across the Columbia River from the Oregon border, two compact structures are nestled high up in the fir trees, connected by a meandering bridge.

dream treehouse

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The 27-year-old adventurer and photographer gathered a group of friends to help him make his dream into a reality. It took them about a year to complete ‘the Cinder Cone,’ as he calls it, with one building functioning as a sleeping cabin and the other a workshop. Each measures about 200 square feet, and the sleeping cabin has bunk beds and hammocks to fit a group.

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The getaway feels like it’s in the middle of nowhere, but it’s close to Portland. The spacious hot tub on a deck further down the hillside keeps things cozy in cold weather, and Huntington and his guests have their own private skate park just a few steps down from the workshop. The friends involved in the building process referred to the Cinder Cone as “big-boys camp” and “Neverland.” It’s all very Portlandia, and The New York Times called it ‘Bro-topia,’ which sounds about right, but it’s hard to deny that the place is incredibly dreamy.

 

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Huntington has produced both a short film and a photo book documenting the building process, and lots of photos – from the very beginning of the project to its enviable usage today – can be seen on his Instagram. 

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Half Pipe, Double Trouble: 2 Skateboard-able Dream Homes

These two houses are a skateboarder’s dream, one built in a loop for continuous skating and the other modified to include ramps and curves.
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Dream-House Designs: 10 Uncanny Ultramodern Homes

Modernism is style – ultramodernism is undefined, but for the purposes of this article is that amazing design approach which brings the future into the present.
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Building a Dream: Recycled Art From Old Lottery Tickets

Most of us dream big when we buy lottery tickets, but those dreams are quickly dashed when we don’t win. This art re-imagines losing tickets as objects of art.
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[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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Form Follows Treehouse: Tiny Green Canopy Home Tops Wood Trunk

12 Dec

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

living tree building

Wrapped in living greenery, the upper story of this solar-powered, tree-shaped dwelling branches outward, set upon a wooden framework supporting it from below.

tree trunk shape house

Designed by Elevate Structure Inc. in Hawaii (photos by Corey Lum for Civil Beat), the 40-square-foot-base expands upward to a 400-square-foot second floor above, overhanging to provide shade for outdoor uses (patios or parking) underneath.

tree house interiors

Eco-friendly features include living and breathing exterior walls that can also be used to grow edible produce, self-sufficient solar power generation via side and top panels and rainwater storage and collection (up to 1,500 gallons).

tree house shape

The modular structure was originally designed as an easy-to-ship, simple-to-build and off-the-grid solution for remote parts of Oahu, but the target has since been expanded due to broader public interest.

tree house living walls

While they work wonderfully as elevated homes, the units can also be used for other purposes, including small stores, cafes, offices, gyms and/or storage spaces.

From its creators: “Inspired by Hawaii’s natural beauty, Elevate founders Tiffany and Nathan set out to create these innovative structures to help care for the environment and help people. The pressure of existing global issues – insufficient water availability in areas, poor air and water quality in others, and high energy consumption are exacerbated by the increasing population density and demands of urban environments – combined with their streak of entrepreneurship brought the Elevate unit to life.”

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Crafty Beetle-Inspired Tiny Treehouse by Terunobu Fujimori

The tiny house, on its four insect-like legs, has a charred outer shell and looks as if it could get up and walk away at any moment.
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Go Big or Home: Living Small in 11 Tiny Houses with Style

Tiny houses are growing in popularity because of increasing environmental consciousness and a desire to reject unnecessary material goods.
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5 Room-in-a-Box Designs Form 100% Modular Home Interior

For the minimalist space-saving fanatic, this collection may be the ultimate all-in-one solution – a set of five boxes, one for each essential home space.
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Megablock Microclimate: Urban Treehouse Apartment Complex

13 Mar

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

urban treehouse forest plants

Shrouded in 150 trees that absorb 200,000 liters of carbon dioxide per hour, this massive five-story, block-spanning residential building occupies its own protected inner-city ecosystem.

urban forest planters microclimate

urban treehouse steel beams

Located in Torino, Italy, 25 Verde was designed by Luciano Pia (images by Beppe Giardino) to serve both the residents of the complex as well as the surrounding urban environment. Its living facade forms light, sight and sound barrier on all sides but also regulates pollution and temperatures in and around the structure.

urban garden trellice supports

urban treehouse street view

treehouse complex

Rich foliage provides shade during the summer and lets more sunlight in during the winter. Situated on the ground and in planters above, each species was carefully selected for its growth needs, colors and other attributes relative to the project’s goals. At ground level, a raised-earth effect provides privacy for residents and a sense that the entire complex is growing right out of the soil.

urban forest facade design

urban green walkway area

urban treehouse courtyard area

Steel tree-shaped supports reinforce the appearance of an urban forest while a series of wooden platforms, trellises and towers make the entire complex feel all the more like a treehouse in the heart of the city. Paths and courtyards provide residents and visitors a great series of moments that combine elements of nature and urban design.

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Vertical City Farming: Undulating Mixed-Use Urban Community

Designed to provide a spaces for public gardening as well as senior living, this hybrid complex has a rich array of green roofs, terraces and facades allowing …
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Made in China: World’s First 3D-Printed Apartment Complex

The same company known for printing 10 home in less than 24 hours is back with a new record-breaking construction project: a multistory apartment structure …
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Dark Tower: Decay Inside Africa’s Tallest Apartment Complex

Before a long descent into darkness, the cylindrical Ponte City Apartments began life as a luxurious tribute to growth and wealth in Johannesburg , filled with …
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Treehouse Taster: 3 Wildly Different Types of Tree Houses

22 Mar

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

tree houses

Regular readers will know that this site love tree houses of all types, but in researching articles a few have slipped through the cracks, their stories and histories unknown, yet the images of them are too amazing to go un-shown.

tree house steampunk style

organic huge tree house

These more mysterious examples come from a combination of Pinterest and Repinly, and range from pragmatic well-constructed residences to wild and overgrown structures that seem to have grown alongside the trees they surround, with a few derelict and deserted ones somewhere in between. Above are two examples that seem organically evolved, pieced together around the growth of their trees.

tree house real frame

Of the sturdily-constructed sort, this one looks like a regular small family home simply lodged in the branches of a big deciduous monster and bolstered by basic framing.

tree house multi story

tree house of fairy tales

Finally, the tree homes of fairy tales – these two magical examples show that plans are one thing, but fantasy is another – sometimes the tree is just a foil for boisterous expressions of amazing and spontaneous architecture.

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Rain Forest Retreat: Remote Jungle Tree-House Hotel

28 Oct

[ By Delana in Boutique & Art Hotels & Global. ]

We all get tired of modern urban living from time to time, but one American couple was so fed up with city life that they decided to create an entirely new community in the Costa Rican Jungle.

Finca Bellavista is a lush green community of permanent residents and people who are just passing through, nestled in the gorgeous jungle setting of Costa Rica. The community is composed of a system of tree houses in the canopy of the rain forest, all connected by suspended wooden sky bridges and zip lines.

The retreat was founded by Mateo and Erica Hogan to house like-minded individuals who need to get away from it all – far, far away. Folks who want to stay permanently can buy a plot and build their own treehouses; those who only want to experience the retreat on a vacation basis can temporarily rent a number of existing units.

Although the worldwide trend seems to be toward luxury vacations and full-service resorts in which one’s every whim is catered to, Finca Bellavista is a wholly unique destination. It is nestled in a dream-like environment but is by no means a luxury resort. It is comfortable, but the property’s focus is more on adventure and environmental stewardship than on pampering visitors and residents.

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Fabled Forest Retreat: Twisted Tea Tree House

Tucked behind an architecture office in Shanghai, this serene building offers books, tea and nature to calm visitors and effortlessly melt stress away.
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15 (More) Amazing Tree Houses from Around the World: Unusual, Ecological and Inspired Designs

Tree houses aren’t just for kids anymore. Here are 15 of the coolest tree houses in the world, from a 6,000 sq ft tree house to a suspended ‘nest’ tree house.
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[ By Delana in Boutique & Art Hotels & Global. ]

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