A different kind of tree house in Vancouver

Obviously, considering the size and design of this house, it would be impossible for it to be a tree house, or at least a traditional type of tree house as we know it. That’s because the house wasn’t intended to be one. It basically starts from a very similar concept, that of living in close connection to nature and particularly close to the trees. However, the approach was quite different.

Vancouver hanggging tree10

The owners of this house searched for a long time until they found the perfect lot for their new holiday retreat. They passed up several lots that to anyone else would have seemed perfect and instead chose one that had huge trees on it. They knew exactly what they wanted. They contacted architect Andrew Dunbar to help them make their vision come true. The idea was to design a house around trees. For that they wanted to use a restraint palette of materials including concrete, steel, glass and the actual trees.

Vancouver hanggging tree10
Vancouver hanggging tree10
Vancouver hanggging tree10
Vancouver hanggging tree10
Vancouver hanggging tree10
Vancouver hanggging tree10
Vancouver hanggging tree10
Vancouver hanggging tree10

The trees were crucial to the design and had to be preserved. They were the ones that dictated the design. However, since making the trees an actual part of their home meant that they would have had branches shooting out of the living room and it wasn’t a very practical idea. It’s why they opted for a different design. The house was organized in two volumes. One volume, sitting on one side of the trees, includes the living areas and bedrooms. The other one, on the other side of the trees, includes the garage and a guest quarter. The two structures are connected by an elevated walkway.{found on nytimes}.