Aside from working on projects for our clients, one of the creative outlets in our office is participating in our daily design charettes. This particular charette was being held for the International Treehouse Competition. With wine, beer, and creative minds in play, we started brainstorming on the next best treehouse design to be entered in the competition. Stay tuned for more to follow!
The competition sites are near the beaches of Fiji, Vietnam,China and Maui, where there are no existing trees. The majority of the tree houses will be in coconut palm trees that will be brought to the site and planted as per the design. The tree size is the designers choice, they can vary from ten feet to forty-five feet in height.
You must consider that all palm trees grow from the top up, a construction in a palm tree two feet from the ground will never move up.
All connections to a tree must be in the form of a stainless- steel sleeve about 3/16-Inch Thick and about ten inches high. For the high decks, It is not a good idea to make rigid connections between all the trees as the trees can be blown in different directions and fight each other in high winds.The sites in southeast Asia are liable to have typhoons and heavy monsoon rains, Which means you must design to resist heavy wind loads. Basically, you must use natural materials but, although tin is not natural, corru-gated tin is natural in the jungle as roofing material because of the rain.
You can also choose to design a roof of vinyl/plastic that is stapled on and replaced every year. This kind of roof also serves to let in light in the dark areas under the tree canopies. The sites and climate allow for a close relationship to nature and a openness not normally allowed in construction. There is almost no need for walls, only for screening materials which are available locally in beautiful colors.
The total floor area should be between five-hundred and one thousand square feet and should accommodate two to six people.
No structural elements may touch the ground except for access stairways. For the there are several varieties of hardwoods in china. Vietnam, and Fiji. In Hawaii you have to be more creative.
The designs must include a toilet and a shower of ecological nature. The shower will have propane water heaters, the toilets will for most part be compo-stable, as most sites may not have either sewage or septic systems. you can incorporate the ground-floor area for cooking and showers, most sites will not have electricity, even for construction. However, since good handicrafts-men are plentiful, designs that emphasize craftsmanship are encouraged. Building codes for tree houses have not yet been regulated in any of these countries. the winning tree houses will be adjusted , when necessary, to make them safe for human habitation.
The entries must include plans, sections, and elevations as well as sketches, significant details, and any written information you may deem important. The winners will be asked to submit a small scale model or a 3d file.
The winning designs will be judged by firmness, commodity, and delight.
Find more information about the competition here.
1 comment
Rikki, they all came out very nice. Great job!