Building of the Week: The Redwood Treehouse, Auckland
The Redwood Tree house 45 minutes north of Auckland embodies a simple oval form wrapped ‘organically' around the trunk of a redwood tree . This striking pod-shaped structure is built ten metres high in a tree near Warkworth. The scale and form of the tree-house creates a statement while complimenting the setting which surrounds. The Redwoods Tree house was designed by architects Peter Eising and Lucy Gauntlett from Pacific Environments architects based in Auckland, originally being commissioned as part of a marketing campaign by Yellow in 2008. The idea was to source all products and services through Yellow Pages listings.
The exclusive venue structurally sitting almost 10m wide and 12m high in a forest in New Zealand is accessed by a chartered coach and through Experience Group who managed the facility’s private bookings. The versatile space accommodates 30 guests with access being provided by an adventurous elevated 60m tree- top walkway using redwood milled onsite.
The concept is driven by the ‘enchanted’ site which is raised above an open meadow and meandering stream to the edge of the woods. The tree-house concept evolved from reminiscing childhood dreams, playtime and imagination. The many forms found in nature inspired the lantern structure, at night it simply glows like a beacon where during the day it’s a tree-house fort creating an outlook with the open ends spiralling to the centre, loosely resembling a sea shell. The concept proved challenging and encompassed a range of consultants to get Resource Consent, Building Consent and construction underway in a very limited time. A team of consultants who worked alongside the architects included fire and structural engineers (Holmes Consulting Group), town planners and arborists to meet functional and Building Code requirements as well as NZ Strong our builders.
The organic composition is structurally tied at the top and base, with a circular plan which splits apart on the axis with the rear floor section raised. Tying this up at the top and base has a sense of greater connection with the tree. This allows the playful tree-top experience come to life. Inside the exposed face there is a great juxtaposition of being in an enclosed space that also has a sense of openness and being permeable to the tree-top views. Opposite the entrance sits a ‘Juliet’ deck that looks down into the valley.
There is a great connection sensed between the pod to the tree through wrapping the steel arbitrarily around the pod at the top and base to loosen regularity of the elements. As well as, being designed to be weather resistant through using acrylic sheeting. Windows are formed by openings, through leaving spaces between the curved fins, which keeps the overall form while keeping the sense of openness for the view and light. Lighting is architecturally an important component enhancing and changing the mood; the walkway is lit discreetly with up lighting within the tree house itself. This truly remarkable construction is embedded into the natural environment.
