A weaver bird's nest was the inspiration for this wooden treehouse in Devon by London-based Jerry Tate Architects.
The architects worked with students to design and build the temporary structure on a farm as part of this year's Dartmoor Arts Project.
Making use of the oak tree's position on a steep hill, a walkway was built to slope gently up to the treehouse.
At the end of the walkway is a small pod with circular seating. Jerry Tate said: "The form was inspired by a weaver bird’s nest, which looks dramatic but is safe and secure."
The timber was milled on site from locally felled spruce, larch and western red cedar.
We've featured lots of treehouses on Dezeen, including a pod that hangs between trees in Dorset, UK. Have a look at our treehouses archive for more.
Photographs are by Michael Smallcombe.
Here's more information from the architects:
Jerry Tate Architects worked alongside students at this summer’s Dartmoor Arts Week to design and construct a striking temporary treehouse. A central part of the ‘Spatial Structures’ course, the treehouse was completed in only five days as a collaborative exercise between students, Jerry Tate Architects and carpenter Henry Russell. The robust 10sqm structure includes an accessible walkway and a 1.8m diameter ‘pod’ which provides a circular seating element.
The brief for the treehouse came from the owners of a local farm who wanted a safe play-space for their grandchildren. The first stage of the project involved surveying the farm in order to identify the most appropriate tree in terms of setting and structural capacity. Jerry Tate said: “The form was inspired by a weaver bird’s nest which looks dramatic but is safe and secure. Nature is a sublime designer."
The treehouse was constructed around an existing mature oak tree on the local farm. The materials were milled on site from locally felled spruce, larch and western red cedar and the structure required only two mechanical fixtures to the tree itself, with the majority of structural stability maintained by the shape and positioning of the structure.
Much of the treehouse was constructed from thin 'lathes' of spruce, some of which were made into glue-laminated ribs to give structural form, and some of which were 'woven' into the structure to provide enclosure and further structural capacity.
The oak tree is situated on a steep slope, which allows easy access to a high level and good views over the farm which features other temporary timber structures on the site, from previous Dartmoor Arts Week events. This is the second year that Jerry Tate Architects has been commissioned by the Dartmoor Arts Project and last year the practice worked with students to create a freestanding raised storytelling platform in an adjacent field. The project cost £600 and will stay on the site for two years.
Project team
Architects: Jerry Tate Architects
Carpenter: Henry Russell
Teaching Assistant: Hugo McCloud
Technician: Paul Dove
Students: Una Haran, Rachel Slater, Dil Phagami Magar, Rory Keenan, Robert Turner, Mima Kearns, Yasmin Eva, Katcha Bilek, Jacob Long, Owen Lewis, Tim Pointer and Emma Tatham
