Treehouse by Design Headlines

Beauty Scenes of Nicaraguan Trees

2008-04-30T20:45:00.000-07:00

My Friend Stan recently returned from the jungles of Nicaragua.

He has a Flickr photo set of his trip and these three caught my fancy.

I'm amazed by the scenic locations, the dense jungles, and the size of the trees -- My mind spins into thoughts of structures I could build!

Its no coincidence that there also happen to be numerous treehouse lodges and eco-resorts in Nicaragua.

Interestingly, they also have a lot of bamboo groves which is an excellent building material for tree houses due to its strength and light weight.

Looks like a beautiful place for a vacation.

Free Range Kids

2008-04-11T15:18:00.000-07:00

I like to point out some of my Philosophy and beliefs in some of my blog postings. In regards to treehouses, the biggest value they can have for children is the sense of independence and experience managing potentially dangerous situations in order to achieve some goal. Granted, building a small treehouse a few feet off the ground will involve danger on the scale of a few possible bruises and a hammered thumb, but still, this enough for kids to learn extremely valuable lessons from and build their character.

I have a problem with the excessive safety oriented structures of modern society. I have a problem with laws and regulations that make it illegal to possibly hurt ones self while engaging in unstructured play such as building a secret treehouse in the woods. Over protectionism of children in the name of safety results in very inhibited and fearful children.

"The problem with this everything-is-dangerous outlook is that over-protectiveness is a danger in and of itself. A child who thinks he can't do anything on his own eventually can't."

I found an article today by Lenore Skenazy in the New York Sun (via boingboing) titled "Why I Let My 9-Year-Old Ride the Subway Alone" and she does a great job describing this very issue.

Lenore describes why she dropped her 9 year old son off in downtown New York and let him navigate his way home via public transit all by himself. He'd been begging her to let him do this for some time -- and eventually she did -- despite all the public fear mongering and personal reservations a loving mother has about releasing her son to his own devices and allowing him to make his own way home.

" ... for weeks my boy had been begging for me to please leave him somewhere, anywhere, and let him try to figure out how to get home on his own. So on that sunny Sunday I gave him a subway map, a MetroCard, a $20 bill, and several quarters, just in case he had to make a call.

No, I did not give him a cell phone. Didn't want to lose it. And no, I didn't trail him, like a mommy private eye. I trusted him to figure out that he should take the Lexington Avenue subway down, and the 34th Street crosstown bus home. If he couldn't do that, I trusted him to ask a stranger. And then I even trusted that stranger not to think, 'Gee, I was about to catch my train home, but now I think I'll abduct this adorable child instead.'

Long story short: My son got home, ecstatic with independence.

Long story longer, and analyzed, to boot: Half the people I've told this episode to now want to turn me in for child abuse. As if keeping kids under lock and key and helmet and cell phone and nanny and surveillance is the right way to rear kids. It's not. It's debilitating — for us and for them."

My hat off you you, Lenore Skenazy. I think we could do well by your lesson in trust.

And for those out there who don't live in an urban jungle, try letting you child attempt their own quest in whatever setting is available. And, if they're lucky enough to have access to some trees, and a private patch of nature, letting them build a treehouse is a good option.

For more info check out Lenore's blog: FreeRangeKids@wordpress.com

"Children, like chickens, deserve a life outside the cage. The overprotected life is stunting and stifling, not to mention boring for all concerned.
So here's to Free Range Kids, raised by Free Range Parents willing to take some heat. I hope this web site encourages us all to think outside the house."

TreePee Tent

2008-03-29T22:16:00.000-07:00

For those who like the idea of, camping in the trees, the TreePee tent may interest you.

The idea behind this tent is great: get off the ground and you're warmer, dryer, less dirty, and more comfortable. The TreePee combines the best aspects of a tent and a trampoline -- you'll never have to worry about hunting for a piece of smooth and rock free level ground to pitch your tent on again.

Setup is simple: hang it from a sturdy tree and stake it down on all four corners -- or not if you want a swinging treepee -- and your ready to go. Retail price is around $600 which is a deal considering the extra comfort factor.

Treehouse Mired in Town Wetlands Law

2008-03-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

The Lewisboro Ledger (representing a number of communities North of New York city, NY) reports on a court case that started over the citation of a treehouse built too close to a protected wetlands area.

The suit was brought by a group of 10 residents who had been brought before the Planning Board by Mr. Fain for violating the wetlands law, which regulates what residents may do within 150 feet of a town-defined wetland.

The residents claim that the inspector was acting in an overzealous manner and was too intrusive into their private lives when he used the letter of the wetlands law, rather than the intent, to challenge a number of structures on their properties including a treehouse.

Mr. DeLucia criticized the acts of the town employees that led to the case.

"It's all a matter of perspective," he said. "Remember, this whole lawsuit started with a violation issued against a tree house. In my 16 years of code enforcement, I've often heard it said that you never write up an igloo or a child's tree house."

Peter Manbeck, Ms. Manbeck's husband, had originally been charged with a violation for building a tree house within a regulated wetlands buffer, although that charge was eventually dropped before the lawsuit was brought against the town.

How reasonable is it to ban the building of a treehouse near wetlands? This is a unique case because unlike traditional structures a treehouse doesn't usually touch the ground, or the wetland habitat, that the law is designed to protect. In fact the charge was for building a structure near the wetland not in it.

Furthermore, many wetland reserves and protected parks build viewing platforms -- structures similar in design to that of a treehouse -- because they mitigate harm to the wetland environment and allow the public to visit and experience the unique natural beauty of the place. This better describes the intent of the law to promote protection and enjoyment.

The charge against the treehouse was dropped; however, the case demonstrates how even environmental protection laws can be misapplied and overgeneralized to the detriment of common citizen's enjoyment of their private lives and experience of nature -- particularily when an unusual structure such as a tree house in involved.

Treehouse Neighbours Meet the Joneses

2008-03-14T13:23:00.000-07:00

A friend sent me this photo of two treehouses (unfortunately I don't know who to credit so if you do please let me know).

I like the tree-house-neighbourhood look and that there are some interesting features about these structures.

First, Notice that the trees don't project through the roof of the houses. This tells me that they topped the trees and built the floor from there. Its as if the house is set on top of the two round trunk stumps.

This is a good way of avoiding problematic issues of sealing the branches where they protrude through the walls. Also, this method can provide an easier way to secure the floor because the beams can be nailed, screwed or bolted to the trunk tops without regard for damaging the tree.

However, this is part of the downside: completely topping the tree at a height like this is damaging and opens up other issues such as moisture, rot and pests.

Also, extreme pruning will cause the tree to sprout new shoots lower down the trunk. You can see them bushing out underneath the treehouse and around the spiral stair case. The tree needs photosynthesis to survive, and it will do whatever it can to gather that light! The builder can maintain control over these new shoots with further pruning or even weaving them to create aesthetic effects.

Lastly, I just like the evolved look of these homes -- the slanted walls, patchwork siding and shingles -- and, I wonder if they compete to keep up with the Joneses?

Trees Can Be Possessive, Too

2008-03-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

Here are two photos from Shane at the Elite Feet site [link]. He posts photos of unusual scenes he stumbles upon while running in the backwoods and these two photos struck me as particularily interesting.

In our day-to-day life we operate with automobiles and motorcycles to amplify our personal mobility and we can easily see tree as static and immobile objects in the background of our activities. Its funny how our relatively quick time scale (as compared to trees) can bias our perception of machines as being alive and the trees as inanimate objects.

Yet the facts are just the opposite and these photos are the proof. I can't help but wonder what the operators were thinking the last time they parked there vehicles and walked away.

Solid Kauri Tree Stair Case

2008-02-28T11:49:00.000-08:00

JIGGS' Flickr pool has some great images of a staircase carved from a solid Kauri Tree trunk. She writes:

"Magic Kauri Kingdom, Awanui, North Island, NZ. The kauri log that this staircase was carved from was dug out of an ancient swamp. Thousands of years ago a tsunami wave devastated the area, felling trees and everything else in it's path. The wood of the kauri tree is so durable that it was still viable after all that time, and so large that this massive staircase could be made from it."

A snowy visit to a treehouse

2008-02-02T22:35:00.000-08:00

A snowy visit to a treehouse

Is it true that a treehouse is fun only in warm weather? A dad decided to find out.

By Robert Klose
[LINK]

How best to describe what a treehouse means to a boy? It's a place away from home, yet securely within its orbit. It's a castle in the air where a kid can feel like a king, surveying his realm below to his heart's content (at least until suppertime, when the monarch comes home to his macaroni and cheese). It's a world where the child can make his own rules and test them out on a small, arboreal scale. And, in this age of hand-held electronics and flashy computer imagery, it's a way to keep these indulgences at a manageable level by empowering the child, rather than a device, to be creative. Most of all, a treehouse is a secret place – something all kids have a need for.

Steampunk Metal Treehouse

2008-01-29T19:56:00.000-08:00

BoingBoing has a video piece on the Steampunk Tree House -- a 40 foot tall metal sculpture created by a group of artists in Oakland CA for Burning Man 2007.

More photos found on Flickr and detailed information on the Laughing Squid blog.

Pole Hauz (Polish Treehouse)

2008-01-07T21:15:00.000-08:00

Small and Fabulous: Modular Living as It Should Be
By Rob Beschizza
Image: Front Architects
Article via Wired [link]
01.07.08
Single Hauz

The Single Hauz, from Poland, is a modern treehouse design that offers approx 200 square feet of living space atop a cement pole. This allows it to be placed in a variety of place unsuitable for conventional home, such as over a lake or cliff side. Very nice idea for places where there are no trees capable of supporting the structure, but if I had my preference, I'd save the cost of the pole and concrete footing and fing a spot with some big fir trees instead.

The world is getting hotter and more crowded every day, and modular, prefab housing is just what the doctor ordered. When you go small, it's not just about energy efficiency and carbon footprints -- it's also about being strange, cool and beautiful.

Eager Tree Meets Reluctant House

2007-12-07T17:11:00.000-08:00

News Article by Nora Muchanic [link]

TRENTON, N.J. - December 6, 2007 -- Neighbors call it the "tree house," but this one's not the innocent backyard version.

"I never seen one grow out of a house before, not a tree," said 77-year-old Minnie Davis of Monmouth Street in Trenton, who is worried about what's happening at the abandoned house next door.

Trees have been growing inside the building, big enough to punch their way through the walls and brick exterior; creating what she feels is a real hazard.

People often ask how a tree could be strong enough to support a treehouse. I respond: "It's not the tree you need to worry about -- its the house."

And as the above image shows, sometimes the trees are willing, it's just that the house that doesn't have what it takes. Not all houses can be treehouses when they grow up!

Berkeley Treehouse Protests Sports Development

2007-11-22T16:07:00.000-08:00

(AP Photo/Ben Margot)

A tree house near Berkeley's Campanile tower in Berkeley, California is inhabited by protestors who wish to save a grove of Oak trees from destruction to make room for a sports centre.

The university wants to remove dozens of the picturesque oak trees, called evergreen coast live oaks, to build a $125 million training facility for its Golden Bears athletic teams.

Lawsuits have been filed by the City of Berkeley and others challenging the building plans. They argue the athletic center would be environmentally and seismically unsound, which campus officials deny.
The protest began last Dec. 2, 2006. It's unclear exactly how many tree-sitters there are, or whether they are students or outsiders. Many rotate in and out at night and wear masks, and they usually give false names.

Although some just spend a few hours in a tree to show solidarity, others seem to hang out for days or weeks, helped by supporters who hoist food, water and reading materials to them in buckets and haul out trash, excrement and other waste.

In October 2007, officials at the University of California, Berkeley, won the legal right to oust the band of tree-sitters and they are currently trying to come up with a way to remove the protesters without violent confrontation. However, other lawsuits relating to the issue are still pending, and the sitters have vowed not to descend as long as the oaks are in peril.

Link to Washington Post Article

Ceramic Cherry Tree and Treehouse Sculpture

2007-11-18T20:34:00.000-08:00

Artist Jeremy Hatch has created a life-size, porcelain cherry tree, and treehouse as part of the "dialogues between ceramics and architecture" exhibit in Vancouver BC, Canada.

The entire piece is made from cast porcelain improvised out of rough and splintered boards set in a life-size cherry tree with truncated limbs. The entire work is from over 30 moulds taken of an actual tree and planks.

The piece is showing at the Surrey Art Gallery until December 16, 2007.

Via Georgia Straight

Reform School Rules Wood Treehouse Toys

2007-11-11T17:53:00.000-08:00

Online green retailer ReForm School is selling treehouse toys made from recycled cherry and elder wood.

The toys stand 22" tall, are easy to assemble, and come with retractable stairs, rope ladder, bucket and pulley, and three platforms.

The treehouse is $170 from ReForm School and the recycled wood block set (above), $35.

[Link via Inhabitat]

'Parasitic' Treehouse Sprouts From Apartment Building

2007-10-25T14:51:00.002-07:00

WMMNA has a link to an art show in Amsterdam that showcases a unique treehouse art piece.

From the WMMNA site: "Over the Top is about "parasitic" structures added on to existing buildings. My fav is Under Heaven. For an exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Leonard van Munster placed a 9 meter high tree on top of the building. Nested in the tree was a little dwelling made of fruit crates and other found materials."

The Dutch have a great history of people squatting in abandoned warehouses and industrial buildings. I've heard stories from people (such as my friend Mr. Hoogkamer) who have lived in such squat communities first hand. These are typically alternative / constructive / artist types who delight in transforming obsolete space into funky and comfortable living places of their own. The builders usually do it with a minimum of cost by using recycled or reclaimed materials and a lot of simple ingenuity. And the government bodies have made progress in the establishment of recognized rights for such shelters, to allow people to avoid institutionalized 'public housing projects,' and to indulge those who opt for a self-sufficient, self-empowering, self-made housing option.

Van Munster's piece takes the theme to a new height.

German Watertower Conversion to Treehouse lofts

2007-10-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

From the Inhabitat article:

In Essen, Germany, Architects from the Madako group have transformed an historic water tower into an imaginative space for living and working that showcases a fusion of old and new with lasting environmental considerations.

In its initial form, the Umbau Wasserturm (converted water tower) in Essen-Bredeney stood untouched under Germany's 'Denkmalschutz' (historic building / monument protection) and 'Landschaftschutzgebiet' (culturally significant landscape protection area). These two designations prevented demolition and maintained the water tower as part of the heritage landscape. The potential of the structure remained untapped until 2002. Then, with little alteration to the exterior, the water tower was transformed into an eight-story, multi-use building. The ground level space serves as an office and the lofty top level unit offers conference space with views of the surrounding natural landscape.

Three two-story apartments welcome the sun with open, flowing floor plans and high ceilings. Natural daylighting, thermal mass and convective cooling are inherent building technologies that translate to the structure's new functions.

The embodied energy in existing materials has been diluted through an extension of the structure's viability. Through reuse and adaptation the cost of demolition, trucking and land filling debris, the manufacturing, transport and installation of new structural materials has been eliminated. The result is a quiet lesson in "stealth green" - reuse brings both ecological and cultural advantages.

Project By:

Madako Architects
Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz
Photos © copyright by krischerfotografie.de

Trees take back the city (After You Leave...)

2007-09-16T18:06:00.000-07:00

The site "We-make-money-not-art" has a review of the Conflux Festival in Brooklyn NY. I find the work by Molly Schwartz interesting as it depicts the concession between trees and urban artifacts.

I like this photo, in particular, showing a tree trunk that looks like an angry turtle head, or a mitten hand, gripping a metal railing.

Excerpt from the WMMNA site:

"Molly Schwartz was showing her moving After You Leave... website and animations which document the way trees are struggling and often winning the battle in the street against cement, sidewalks, fences, decorative brick borders and buildings.

Anyone can contribute to Molly's project by submitting their own photo and written observations of the struggle. Besides, a map can be downloaded to guide participants to the key locations of the green battle."

Cocoon Emergency Survival Treehouse Concept

2007-09-12T18:47:00.000-07:00

John Moriarty has designed an emergency outdoor survival shelter called "Cocoon". His idea is to provide emergency refuge in a tree by suspending a fabric enclosure from a branch and crawling in.

The design shows a support bag nested within the larger exterior. It appears as though the person sits inside, like in a hammock, and is surrounded by the larger fabric enclosure that keeps out the cold and wet. It is unclear what the specs are but I'd assume the exterior has rain repellency and some type of insulation. There also appear to be two anchors near the bottom to allow the occupant to secure the cocoon against high wind and swaying motions.

I think the best feature is, like all treehouses, that the person is situated in a tree because a significant source of body heat is lost through direct contact with the ground. If a person sleeps on the ground they are exposed to rain runoff, soil moisture, and dew that will wick into clothes and contribute to dampness and heat loss. Ground contact during harsher winter conditions such as snow, ice, and frost can be deadly. However, the suspended tear drop design eliminates all these survival problems.

And, there is the safety aspect: Suspending a shelter from a tree is a good way to avoid ground dwelling creatures (snakes, spiders, rodents, insects, and the like) as well as larger predators. It reminds me of the technique we use to protect our food cache from bears while hiking: we tie it all in a bag and use a rope to dangle it high up in a tree. Perhaps Moriarty can improve on his design by including a block and tackle pulley arrangement that lets the user hoist themselves up to safety after entering the cocoon at ground level.

Overall, I think it is a great idea. For a related design see my previous blog entries: Dutch artist, Dre Wapenaar's, tear drop treehouse and the TreePee Company's latest TreePee Tent.

Treehouse Investment Increases Real Estate Value

2007-08-29T11:20:00.000-07:00

Sold to the family's youngest members
Telegraph.co.uk [link to article]

This article from the Telegraph discusses how higher end properties selling in the UK are more attractive to prospective buyers when they have features oriented for children such as tree houses.

Included is this photo of an estate at Bluebell Barn, Banham, Norfolk, with a tree house that looks like a ship, built by the makers of the BBC TV programme Home Front.

The message is that owners of these homes are investing in building a treehouse for the enjoyment of their own children, and then afterward getting a high return on the money upon the sale of the home. It is smart economics when your own family gets enjoyment from a treehouse and then you also get a financial reward by appealing to the child-desirability factor in the real estate market.

"It used to be the case that you'd weigh up the body language between a husband and wife on a viewing. If the wife likes the house, the sale will probably come good," says Mark Charter, of estate agent Carter Jonas, "but now the kids come into it. When families view a house, the parents will turn to their children, no matter how young, and ask what they think before they decide whether to buy. It's staggering that children's opinions are taken so seriously." . . . And, "of course the child's eyes will light up at the sight of a tree house."

Kafrissen Treehouse Resort in Perth Ontario

2007-08-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

Here's a cool little treehouse resort built by the Kafrissen family in Perth, Ontario, Canada.

The property is on a section of river known as Sheridans Rapids with abundant trees and scenery.

They built it over the span of 3 years out of recycled materials and cedar trees bent and damaged by storms.

The main house is connected by suspension bridge to a smaller open air treehouse called 'margaritaville'.

"By combining natural materials with 'organic' curves and free flow philosophy, we were able to blend the treehouse into it's natural surroundings. As it weathers, it feels like it has always been there."

Rentals are available to visitors. Check out their website at: www.freewebs.com/sheridanrapids

Pleaching Trees Photos

2007-07-29T16:51:00.000-07:00

Here are some strange trees created via the process of pleaching -- weaving saplings into forms that force the tree to grow in a desired pattern.

Photos are courtesy of Richard Reames, author of the book Arborsculpture - arborsmith.com
[Site via wohba.com]

Elephant Proof Treehouse Cafe

2007-07-20T17:49:00.000-07:00

(Article repost from NewKerala.com)

Jumbo frightened Kerala woman sells tea from a tree

Wayanad (Kerala), July 20 : For many people the idea of living atop a tree may sound adventurous, but for a 50-year-old woman it was compulsion.

Nibisha, who runs a teashop on the national highway that passes through the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala, was driven up a tree by rampaging wild elephants.

Nibisha has been living in a tree house built at a height of over 30 feet for the past twenty years.

After elephants in the forest damaged her shop a couple of times, forest officials advised her to make a house on a tree to avoid further attacks by the jumbos.

Tribals helped her to build the tree house, using bamboo, grass and wood.

Babu, a lorry driver, said that the treetop ta joint was a popular one, and added that he was yet to see another like it in any other state.

Nibisha says she used the earnings from the tea shop to bring up her three children.

Although her children are now well settled and have asked her to live with them, Nibisha refuses to leave her teashop and tree house.

Wanna Wife Swap Your Life in a Treehouse?

2007-07-12T16:59:00.000-07:00

ABC Television's reality show, Wife Swap, is conducting a National Casting Search to find treehouse moms to feature on the current season of the show.

Wife Swap is a family show on ABC primetime. The premise is simple: two moms from two very different families get the opportunity to swap lives (but not bedrooms - everyone has their own!) for a week to experience what it's like to live a different lifestyle - and to see what they can teach each other about their own lifestyle!

The Producers of the show want to feature a family who lives in a tree house, in hopes of shattering any common misconceptions of what family life in the trees might be like! They want to hear from families, the bolder and more adventurous the better, with 2 parents at home and school aged children (6-17) who are interested in sharing their lives for a week.

As an added incentive, each family that tapes an episode of Wife Swap receives compensation for their time. If you know of a family, or have a family yourself, with made for TV personalities e-mail me and I will forward your information on to the Casting Producer of the show!

Microsoft's Treehouse Office

2007-06-21T17:08:00.000-07:00

An article in Ars Technica, and Langridge's blog, describe Microsoft's opening of a treehouse office in London's Pimlico Gardens, England. The project falls under Microsoft's MOOF (Mobile Out Of Office) initiative.

MOOF launched the treehouse office as a flexible alternative to the traditional concrete and glass work environ. It is an experiment in promoting employee flexibility and freedom in choosing where and how they work.

Microsoft commentators cite some interesting statistics to justify the treehouse office concept:

"From our research 73% of people consider the ability to work flexibly a deciding factor when choosing a new job; while 52% of workers believe they would enjoy a less stressful working life as a benefit of working remotely."

Also, "10 percent of British workers would like to work from a park or their garden".

The drive to attract creative and talented employees, and keep them, demands more flexibility in the employeer/employee relationship. So, it makes sense that an alternative tree house office could provide mutual work related benefits. It serves as both a test bed for mobile and wireless technologies and also a natural perk for employees.

As one Microsoft employee puts it:

"So, here I am and I have to say, despite the slightly breezy weather and the threat of rain, I'm enjoying the fresh air and the liberation and finding myself curiously motivated to work! Couldn't do it every day, but then, we all know the office is important too..."

Simple Tree House Tips

2007-06-19T20:46:00.000-07:00

There is a nice article in the Cherokee Sentinel about basic tips for building a treehouse. Below I've paraphrased and added to their recommendations:

Choose strong mature trees to build in such as: oak, beech, maple, fir, and hemlock.
Consider branch thickness and how best to support the weight of the tree house.
Design in flexibility: A tree twists, sways, and grows so the structure needs to accomodate that movement.
Plan out the project: Get creative and sketch out your plans on paper (or better yet, free 3D software such as Google SketchUp) to work out the details before construction begins.
Consider the view, and wind exposure, in relation to the height off the ground. Higher up usually offers a better view but also means more motion and exposure to wind. Typically it is not recommended to build any higher than 2/3 up the tree.
Keep in mind the person for whom the tree house is being built and factor in their usage needs into the design.