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Solar Powered Treehouse Classrooms Unveiled in the UK

Solar Powered Treehouse Classrooms Unveiled in the UK

Recently the Elleray Preparatory School in the UK unveiled an incredible set of tree-top classrooms. Situated in the Lake District National Park, the three green-built class pods stand on stilts connected by a center platform made from recycled materials. Built to have a low impact on the environment while accommodating the school’s expanding student body, the Treehouse School is sure to inspire all the children the walk through its doors.

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World’s Tallest Treehouse Built From Reclaimed Wood

World’s Tallest Treehouse Built From Reclaimed Wood

When God told Horace Burgess to build a treehouse, he promised that Burgess would never run out of materials. So far he hasn’t. Using tons of reclaimed wood, Burgess has built a 10 story treehouse in Crossville, Tennessee. Burgess claims it is the world’s largest treehouse and since no one has disputed him yet, his fantastic 100 foot tall structure continues its reign. Known as the Minister’s Treehouse, it should not be confused with the world’s tallest wooden building soon to be built, because its foundation is an 80-foot-tall white oak tree.

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Mobile Treehouse: Log Cabin on Wheels Sells for $12K on eBay

Mobile Treehouse: Log Cabin on Wheels Sells for $12K on eBay

Online auctions are an easy way to browse for a dream residence without the use of your four-wheel gas guzzler, but the recent sale of a particular mobile home is far from your ordinary listing. A lucky Australian bidder just won the ownership of a portable, yet grandiose, “log” cabin – literally made to emulate an enormous log. The auction winner paid AU$14,000 (just over 12k USD) for what is essentially a trailer measuring just over 42 feet in length that provides over 450sq ft of living space. The auction listing explains that the log is mobile – sitting on a truck bed equipped with wheels and brakes for easy towing – but that left us wondering about the unit’s green credentials, and exactly where did a huge log on wheels come from in the first place?

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Manuel Villa’s Habitable Polyhedron – A Family Garden Retreat

Manuel Villa’s Habitable Polyhedron – A Family Garden Retreat

We’ve seen our fair share of backyard retreats, but Manuel Villa’s Habitable Polyhedron shapes up to be one of the most unique dwellings we’ve come across. Designed as an escape for young families: parents and their newborn, the Habitable Polyhedron offers respite from day to day household activities in a family’s back garden in Bogota, Columbia. One windowed side of the polyhedron opens to a teak deck leading into …

Baumraum’s Froschköenig Treehouse

Baumraum’s Froschköenig Treehouse

Sitting atop thin steel stilts, the Froschköenig Treehouse conjures up ideas of a space pod just landed among a canopy of trees. Designed by well-known treehouse designer and manufacturer, Baumraum, the prefabricated treehouse features a futuristic, curved zinc roof enveloping a more rustic-feeling tatajuba wood foundation to create a whimsical hideaway for kids and adults.READ MORE AT INHABITOTS >

Prefabricated Shelters Offer a Jungle Eco-Retreat

Prefabricated Shelters Offer a Jungle Eco-Retreat

Sitting among the canopy of a jungle forest near Yelapa, Mexico, these V-Houses by Heinz Legler are quite possibly an eco-adventurer’s paradise. The treehouse-like structures are lofted 16 feet above the ground and open on all sides to offer panoramic views of the tropical surroundings. Although the rooms measure only 16 feet by 16 feet, a slanted ceiling and open walls make the treehouse seem larger — blurring the lines between indoors and outdoors. And to top off this eco-dream of a jungle retreat, the V-Houses were designed with modular components, made with sustainable materials, and have incorporated solar panels, composting toilets, and a greywater system.

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World’s First Tower Made of Hundreds of Living Trees

World’s First Tower Made of Hundreds of Living Trees

Treehouses are nothing new to enterprising kids, but a group of architects at the University of Stuttgart in Germany have brought a new twist to the idea: the first tower made entirely out of living trees. The “baubotanical” building, which measures 9 meters high with a base area of 8 square meters, is made up of hundreds of White Willow plants, which will eventually fuse together to form a single, giant mega tree.
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T-Tree: A Towering Community of Prefab Pixel Homes

T-Tree: A Towering Community of Prefab Pixel Homes

Appearing as a cross between a Tokyo capsule hotel and a pixellated prefab treehouse, the T-Tree housing community offers residents the opportunity to live among the clouds. One of 20 incredible finalists in our ReBurbia competition to save the suburbs, the sustainable community was designed by Adil Azhiyev and Ivan Kudryavtsev of Light+Space to help alleviate the problems of suburban sprawl with a site-sensitive vertical structure composed of two design elements — a central core containing an elevator and stars, and a lofted series of prefab housing modules. Like the trunk of a tree the core serves as the base, while the housing modules are stacked one on top of the other to create a tower of alternating cubes and activated space.

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Telok Blangah Hill Park’s Flying Infrastructure in the Sky

Telok Blangah Hill Park’s Flying Infrastructure in the Sky

If you enjoyed our coverage of New York City’s High Line raised park, we think Telok Blangah Hill Park’s dizzying infrastructure will “elevate” you to an ever higher level. Located in Singapore, the park’s fly-over style “walkways” are reminiscent of those ancient rope bridges you see suspended over caverns in movies, giving you the very rare experience of viewing towering treetops from a monkey’s perspective. The pathways and suspension bridges are anything but rickety though. In fact, many of them are elegant works of art and architectural precision. But at 120 feet above the forest floor at their highest points, they aren’t for the faint of heart!

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TREETOP OFFICE: Eat Your Heart Out, Cubicle Warrior

TREETOP OFFICE: Eat Your Heart Out, Cubicle Warrior

One look at this office nestled amid the treetops and you might contemplate how to change your life in order to have a workspace with such an incredible view. Peter Frazier, a customer experience consultant, decided after years of working at an office and gaining over 50 pounds that he needed to make a change in his life – so he built this incredible office in the woods. Set amongst the trees above Chuckanut Bay in Bellingham, Washington, his lofted cube serves as a workspace and guest room, and it has a green roof on top too.

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Vegetal City: Idealistic Visions of Our Urban Future

Vegetal City: Idealistic Visions of Our Urban Future

Ever wonder what our modern-day cities could look like 100 years from now in a perfect world? Architect Luc Schuiten endeavors to find out with his Vegetal City installation, currently on display in Brussels. The entrance, made up of an archway with branches covered in blinking yellow lights, leads the exhibit’s visitors into a magical world of architectural drawings and models of cities where city residents live peacefully with nature.

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Ladonia: A Micronation Made of Driftwood and Nails

Ladonia: A Micronation Made of Driftwood and Nails

Looking for a change of scenery? Consider moving to Ladonia, a micronation made up of driftwood, nails, and nine-story wooden “fortresses” located in the southwest corner of Sweden. Designed by Lars Vilks, the mock nation consists of two works of art: Nimis, a maze of 70 tons of driftwood and nails, and Arx, a stone and concrete sculpture that looks like a melting sandcastle.

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‘Landscape Apertura’ Treehouse Frames Nature Exquisitely

‘Landscape Apertura’ Treehouse Frames Nature Exquisitely

Robert McLaughlin’s ‘Landscape Apertura‘ treehouse near Kansas City, offers calculated views into nature via six strategically placed, vibrant green frames. Each frame is designed to capture a specific outlook, which enables one to appreciate and focus on a small perspective of the expansive great outdoors. As thoughtfully crafted as its outward gazes, Landscape Apertura …

Coco Hut: An Outdoor Shed Made of Scrap Wood

Coco Hut: An Outdoor Shed Made of Scrap Wood

What do you do if you love treehouses like us, but don’t have a tree to build on? Netherlands-based designer Gert Eussen may have a solution with his Coco-Hut, a cozy and round hut made of scrap and FSC-certified wood. With an element of whimsy, the structure looks a little bit like a beehive with a linear version of the honeycomb texture. The Coco-Hut is also unmistakably cute with its round shape and humble staircase leading inside.

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Kokopo House Fuses Luxury and Sustainability Under One Roof

Kokopo House Fuses Luxury and Sustainability Under One Roof

The Kokopo House proves that luxury, eco-minded amenities and off-grid living may co-exist. Peering over the top of the forest, the home’s open structure creates a luxurious treehouse-like escape deep within Papua New Guinea’s volcanic region. Open to the elements, the Kokopo House contains no windows, allowing for natural circulation to pass through the barrier-free house. The walls encourage wind movement and cross ventilation through geometric shapes and patterns that are inspired by the flow of volcanic lava.

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Abandoned Silos Transformed Into a Climbing Gym

Abandoned Silos Transformed Into a Climbing Gym

The city of Amsterdam wasn’t quite sure what to do with three abandoned sewage treatment silos, so they decided to hold a competition to determine the best adaptive reuse project. One of the projects submitted for the competition was by Amsterdam-based NL Architects, who proposed to transform the silos into an incredible set of climbing towers. In addition to the climbing areas both inside and outside the silos, the project would include multi-purpose areas, offices, restaurants and other commercial spaces.

EDEN BIO: Paris Grows a Green Heart

EDEN BIO: Paris Grows a Green Heart

Villas des Vignoles or EDEN BIO is an entire block of public housing nestled in urban Paris. The newly unveiled dwellings are enclosed in a small alley with plenty of nooks and crannies for gardening, composting or even small rabbit hutches—as designer Edouard Francios so picturesquely envisioned. Green walls or vegetable facades will hug the exterior of the housing block, and in the coming months trees will begin to shoot off branches. The landscaping will continue to grow into its surroundings aging like a fine French wine.

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Links Roundup of the Week: Going Mainstream

Links Roundup of the Week: Going Mainstream

Throughout April, we have been covering a number of design events and trends that seem to increasingly capture the public’s attention. We like that being green doesn’t mean being crunchy. Rather, eco-consciousness is transcending stereotypes and rethinking how we live and relate to our world. As public awareness increases, we see that people are finally understanding that green design is vital and viable. …

ANNOUNCING: Our Spring Greening Contest Winners!

ANNOUNCING: Our Spring Greening Contest Winners!

DRUMROLL PLEASE…
Spring has sprung, the votes have been cast, and we’re excited to announce the winners of our Spring Greening DIY Design Contest! We feel fortunate to have such an incredibly talented reader base – you guys wowed us with some truly impressive examples of DIY design. Thanks to everyone for submitting their incredible Spring Greening projects, and to all our readers for supporting them throughout the voting process… read on for our winners…

Solar Powered Kangaroo Valley House

Solar Powered Kangaroo Valley House

Situated amidst 100 acres of scenic views, rainforest, and flowing water, this gorgeous solar-powered residence stands perched above Australia’s Kangaroo Valley. Faced with an incredible natural site, Tom White and Alexander Michael’s home incorporates simple, robust materials while practically floats among the clouds.

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Japanese Treetop Tea House is “Built Too High”

Japanese Treetop Tea House is “Built Too High”

The Japanese certainly have a penchant for out-of-this-world tree-top architecture, and this incredible Takasugi-an tea house is no exception. Designed by architect Terunobu Fujimori, the tree-bound tea house stands precariously perched upon the trunks of two timbers erected on a plot of family land in Chino, Nagano Prefecture.

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Brazil Promotes Sustainability with São Paulo Eco-Park

Brazil Promotes Sustainability with São Paulo Eco-Park

Anna Dietzsch, Managing Director of Davis Brody Bond Aedas‘ São Paulo office and Levisky Arquitetos Associados designed this beautiful eco-park on what was once a contaminated brownfield in São Paulo, Brazil. The 130,000-square-foot site was previously the home to a garbage incinerator, so even after the area’s clean-up the team strove to minimize soil excavation by building a deck that, on average, floats three feet above the ground. Victor Civita Plaza also includes solar panels, the extensive use of reclaimed wood, and a retro-fitted museum that explains the sustainable features that were designed into the site.

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VegaWatt: Powering Restaurants WIth Deep Fried Fuel

VegaWatt: Powering Restaurants WIth Deep Fried Fuel

While there’s still some guilt to be had when indulging in a deep-fried take-out, if the restaurant is equipped with a VegaWatt oil converter you can claim you’re only doing it to help the environment. A VegaWatt machine turns used vegetable oil into clean heat and energy for restaurants, eliminating the dirty and costly mess of oil disposal while producing 10-25% of the electricity needed to run a small restaurant.

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INHABITAT READERS’ TOP STORIES OF 2008

INHABITAT READERS’ TOP STORIES OF 2008

DRUMROLL PLEASE … Here at Inhabitat we feel lucky to have such a dedicated and enthusiastic reader base, so when we revealed Inhabitat’s Top 10 Most Popular Green Design Stories of 2008 earlier this week we wanted to give you the chance to weigh in vote for your favorite stories. Well, the results are in, and we’re excited to reveal our readers’ choice top posts of 2008! Read on to see the results…

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TOP TEN MOST POPULAR GREEN DESIGN STORIES OF 2008

TOP TEN MOST POPULAR GREEN DESIGN STORIES OF 2008

With the end of 2008 rapidly approaching, now is a good time to take a look back at the year and reflect on the most interesting green design developments of 2008. From massive shifts towards eco-friendly transportation to monumental wonders of green architecture to a stunning array of clean technology breakthroughs, it’s been a banner year for green, with thousands of incredible projects cropping up in every field of sustainable design. Over the next couple days we’ll be compiling a bunch of top ten lists for 2008: including our readers’ favorite stories and our editors’ favorite stories. To kick off this list we’d like to highlight Inhabitat’s most popular stories of 2008, (based on number of pageviews according to Google Analytics). We’d love to hear what you think, and we’ll be putting together a reader ‘top ten’ in a few days, so please vote on your favorites below…

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GREEN WEEKEND GETAWAY: Linda Aldredge’s Treehouse

GREEN WEEKEND GETAWAY: Linda Aldredge’s Treehouse

If you head north from New York City and hang a left on Route 28 up near Woodstock you’ll find yourself on a very scenic drive through Catskill State Park. Verdant hills dotted with lakes and ponds seem to roll on forever in between the forested mountain tops. It is here, up in the trees, that Linda Aldredge, the owner of LuLu Organics, built her weekend getaway. We came across Linda’s blog about her experience in the woods via a profile of her friends on The Selby. We immediately thought that Inhabitat readers would appreciate Linda’s treehouse as not only a sustainable shelter, but as a reminder of how functional and rewarding small and simple can be. Lucky for us, Linda graciously answered some questions and invited us for a treehouse weekend.
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Raindrop Shaped Treetents by Dré Wapenaar

Raindrop Shaped Treetents by Dré Wapenaar

Sylvan housing reaches new heights with these wonderful dewdrop shaped Treetents by Dutch sculptor and designer Dré Wapenaar. Originally designed to ease the lives of tree-sitting activists, they also make excellent treetop retreats for campers, kids, and anyone soothed by an evening spent softly swaying among the branches. Each beautifully formed droplet attaches directly to a tree trunk and is roomy enough to sleep a family of four.

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New Zealand’s Whimsical Yellow Treehouse Restaurant

New Zealand’s Whimsical Yellow Treehouse Restaurant

The new Yellow Treehouse Restaurant by New Zealand based Pacific Environments Architects Ltd. (PEL) is a stunning architectural feat perched high above a redwood first. Appearing for all the world like an enormous chrysalis grafted onto a 40-meter-high redwood tree, the project is constructed of plantation poplar slats, redwood balustrading milled at the site, and makes extensive use of natural lighting throughout.

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MINI PREFAB: Modern Architecture for Tots

MINI PREFAB: Modern Architecture for Tots

If you’re a fan of modern prefab architecture and you’re raising rugrats, now you can get your little ones on the prefab mod action with the Mini Modern Prefab Playshed. Part Case-Study home, part play-house, the Mini Modern Prefab proves that kid’s design can be fun and sophisticated at the same time. Architect Ryan Grey Smith, known for his …

Up In the Trees: Madison Square Tree Huts

Up In the Trees: Madison Square Tree Huts

New York’s Madison Square Garden has taken on a Swiss-Family-Robinson feel lately. This is due to an art exhibition featuring work by Tadashi Kawamata called Madison Square Tree Huts, which emerged completed on October 2. A gathering of small wooden houses up in the trees, folks passing through the park might find themselves grinning upward with wonderment at these small structures meant to shake up our notion of public space and how it interacts with ideas of urbanity, rural romanticism and play.
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Crazy Banyan Treehouse Cafe in Japan

Crazy Banyan Treehouse Cafe in Japan

Although this towering concrete treehouse isn’t really green, (unless tree imitation counts as ‘green’), we couldn’t help but be awestruck by its sheer craziness. We thought it worth a post, just for the picture alone. The Naha Harbor Diner in Okinawa, Japan is a life-size rendition of a banyan tree, also known as gajumaru. The aptly-named Banyan Town shopping center near the entrance of Onoyama Park features a twenty foot tall tree with a pan-Asian restaurant nestled amid its branches. Accessible by a spiral staircase around back and an in-trunk elevator, the restaurant specializes in locally grown and organic harvested foods fresh from the farm.

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Bubbletecture H by Shuhei Endo

Bubbletecture H by Shuhei Endo

When Japanese architect Endo Shuhei adds another delectable design to his repertoire, you can expect a project title just as incredible as the structure itself. He names each of his projects by letter and then style, with appellations ranging from “rooftecture”, to “slowtecture”, to “refurbitecture” and beyond. His recently completed ‘Bubbletecture H’ building in Hyogo is the 8th (Hth) project he has created that is bursting with bubbly bulges and arches. Designed with curves of the land in mind, this open-air environmental education center aims at minimizing its environmental impact while blending in naturally.

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PREFAB FRIDAY: Retreat to an Ewok Eco Sphere in the Trees

PREFAB FRIDAY: Retreat to an Ewok Eco Sphere in the Trees

What if we told you you could own your very own Ewok-meets-Aarnio hanging treehouse? Canada-based Tom Chudleigh creates these bubblicious Free Spirit Eco Spheres that sway amidst the coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest. Available for purchase or for rent, they offer a whimsical new way to experience the outdoors.

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BAUMRAUM: Stunning Treehouse Designs from Germany

BAUMRAUM: Stunning Treehouse Designs from Germany

There’s nothing like a tree-top dwelling to conjure up gilded memories of childhood adventures and endless summers. It’s even better when they’re put together as wonderfully as the ones by Baumraum, who specialize in arboreal abodes. The beautiful tree house above is one of many from Baumraum, serenely sequestered amid the woodlands of Germany where they act as playgrounds, conference spaces, and restful retreats.

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Prince Charles’ Environmental Education Treehouse Center

Prince Charles’ Environmental Education Treehouse Center

Prince Charles has been invited to open the New Forest Study Centre’s new educational treehouse, a sustainable building that places city kids right in the middle of nature. The Countryside Education Trust (CET) has commissioned two classrooms-on-stilts to be built, enabling 10,000 children a year to learn about rural life and build a connection to nature – an experience that some one million children in the UK have never had. With an eco-minded design and purpose, the treehouse project will be a catalyst for environmental awareness.

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