T R E E H O U S E S
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Ashley Phillips, Alfred Law, Maxine Yu, Janet Szeto


As children, growing up submerged in western culture, tree houses have always captured our imagination, represented to us freedom, fantasy, adventure, and a place of absolute relaxation as you can become one with nature. However, they were not always used for such pleasurable purposes. In fact, they once served as lookout towers against enemies and as habitats to protect against the attack of animals.

In today’s age, treehouses extend beyond the notion of playhouses for children or hideaways from enemies. Treehouses now juggle between the categories of temporary and permanent structures in the different context it finds itself in: from the lightweight portable tree canopies of observatory systems, to the backyard playhouses or summer getaways for adults, into the full-time dwellings and treehomes of many, across the horizon, to the forests where new ideas and technology carries the bold statements it holds to the world. The treehouse is ever changing, not only in its usage, construction methods and materials, but also transforming in what it has come to be and represent.

As technology advances and global environment issues continue to arise, many individuals and architects have expressed their changing views of society through the design of treehouses. The possibilities of all the different forms that can be created with new construction materials and methods are nearly boundless. Such technological advancement has allowed individuals to dream up treehouses that serve functions of all kind. They are no longer bound by simple post and beam construction to form traditional playhouse or act as a place of relaxation. The end result of such radical change in the last several decades are strong, bold statements displayed through treehouses and to the rest of the world.


Some examples of these intriguing new designs can be seen below:

HABITATION
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The House and Home of Kendall Thurston


Though tree houses are often perceived as temporary, unstable structures, many have proven to the world that permanency and durability in its form and construction are possible. Though not a new concept, tree houses have acted as homes for many in the past few centuries. However, in the modern age of technology and skyscrapers, tree houses that serves as dwellings suitable for full-time living are a rarity. Some have chosen to settle their homes and lives in such context where fresh air is abundant, the chirping of the birds become the music that is played, and a view unmatched any other.


SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATORY STATIONS
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The ICOS (Independent Canopy Observatory System) on the LEFT
and the SolVin Bretzel on the RIGHT


The purpose of these type of tree houses is to observe the unexplored forest canopy, discover new species, and collect specimen, while comfortably and safely inhabiting the treetops for long periods of time. Forest treetops are one of the least explored places on earth even though 40% of existing species are living amongst them without ever touching the ground. These observation spaces can also be used for studying the environment in terms of air quality and the absorption of carbon in the forests. They can take any form but, as this type of structure have to be portable; the materials must be relatively light. They must also be able to be constructed and dismantled easily by only a handful of scientists.


TREEHOUSES OF THE FUTURE
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The Insect House on the LEFT
and the Lifepod Project on the RIGHT



One of the most exciting things about tree houses is their potential in development and use in the future. Designers, architects, and everyday people have been able to recognize what tree houses could possibly become, and how they could go beyond what exists today.