Baumraum Designs: Modern Tree Capsules

Baumraum Designs: Modern Tree Capsules

I found a story in the April 2006 edition of Dwell Magazine about an architectural firm in Bremen, Germany, called Baumraum Design.

They have designed nearly a dozen unique treehouses for clients in Germany, Austria, and Brazil.

I admire the use of cables, cantilevers, and beams in their designs. Very clean and modern; light-weight and strong.

The hallmark signature seems to be an avoidance of right angles --the walls are all oblique angles -- and long narrow box designs for the actual shelter structure.

It is interesting to me that the home part is prefabricated and transported to the site to be lifted in place by crane. The deck and support beams for the structure are built on site according to the custom requirements of the trees.

The business model utilizes the prestige of custom architectural design, the efficiency and quality of prefabrication methods, and the natural resource of existing trees on location to make their magical structures.

Another cool feature of their design is the sliding shutter for the window (as pictured close up). This is a beautiful consideration for both weather and sunlight protection, and I think the gaps between each slat is left open to allow air flow and partial light to enter. This is a very stylish consideration for a treehouse and a very elegant method of incorporating protection from the elements into the overall design.

The following is the reference to the article in Dwell:

Tree's Company

Story by Monica Zerboni
Photo by Alastair Jardine
p.212, Dwell Magazine, April 2006

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