George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces: The Treehouse

WORDS George Clarke PHOTOS Plum Pictures


I wanted to build a treehouse and to take the concept of blurring indoor and outdoor spaces even further, creating a space that really engages with the landscape and embraces the cleverest cutting-edge design while capturing the magic of camping. And it seemed right to make it somewhere that everyone can enjoy, especially people for whom the joys of camping and the great outdoors are not usually available; it should be accessible to people with disabilities as well as their families.

STRUCTURAL LIMITATIONS

There was no doubt in my mind that my friend William Hardie, a talented master craftsman and designer, was the right person for this project. Apart from incredible workmanship, he brings remarkable conceptual elements to the design process. Our creative ramblings led to some wacky and wild ideas but although this process is key – and great fun – it has to work in tandem with practicalities. The location, for example, was challenging: a wooded site sloping steeply down to a small flood plain and a river with trees not structurally strong enough to support a treehouse.

We needed the technical expertise of a structural engineer. Our plan was to use sturdy oak posts, securely anchored to the ground, as supports. The posts would need cross-bracing with the vertical struts supporting the building; and the struts would occasionally be underwater as the site suffers from seasonal flooding.

This was no whimsical treehouse; it had to have serious design credibility as well as work with the topography, the climate and the accessibility requirements of people with disabilities.

CONNECTING STRUCTURE AND NATURE

Our objective was to create an accessible treehouse with separate spaces, or pods. We wanted to use rational, simple forms – the most basic shapes as building blocks – and then play with how to hold them up in the air. The more we could do to break down the boundaries between man and nature, the better. The location was within a national park, and the natural qualities of its environment provided our three key inspirations: water, trees and a vast sky with minimal light pollution. Each pod would relate individually to these elements.

A triangular A-frame would be the simplest of building shapes. Its two sloping sides would open to the vertical via hydraulics, to create an open roof and clear view of the sky. The interior would contain a simple sleeping platform.

A practical cube would be a modernist, sleek minimal building, visually connecting with the woodland by means of a deck and a large wall of windows opening directly onto the treetops, creating a curtain of green. A cylindrical pod would provide a “wild camping” feel. Open ended and looking straight up the course of the river, it would bring the light and sound, as well as the view, of the water into the space.

MATERIALS

Our choice of materials had to be sympathetic to the environment, aesthetically pleasing, practical, honest and capable of weathering. The triangle was the most engineered of the structures but the one that retained a rustic cabin feel and look. Using state-of-the-art steelwork and hydraulics in the most simple and pastoral of buildings is very appealing. The interior is plywood-lined and the large sloping sides of the building are clad in a traditional repeat pattern of cedar shingle, which will weather over time to a lovely silvery grey. Because of the stairs this is the only shape that isn’t accessible by wheelchair.

The cube is simplicity itself – a modernist box. The exterior is clad in blackened vertical planks of rough-sawn green oak, and here Will’s inspired thinking and practical knowledge were instrumental in achieving an ingenious finish. He harnessed one of the natural properties of oak by brushing it with a solution of iron sulphate (tomato feed mixed with water); reacting with the natural tannins in the oak, the surface blackened within hours.

The cylindrical pod, by nature of its shape, had to be metal. A section of corrugated steel motorway drainage tube was the ideal solution. Ready-formed, its surface reflects the light and sound of the river and will oxidise over time. Left open-ended, it is a pure and raw form.

DESIGN FEATURES

I love the multi-functioning, clever design and space-saving devices that the designers of all past amazing spaces are so good at achieving. Squeezing the most out of every inch, without making a space feel cramped or haphazard, is a challenge. Here we tried to apply what we had learnt from those clever contributors and amp it up! Walk in to the cube pod and it looks like a minimal plywood-lined box, with bifold doors spanning the width and a deck running along the outside. There is very little detail. However, along one wall is a simple cantilevered adjustable height kitchen.

On the opposing wall, lines suggest openings, brackets hinge open and shelves fold down onto them to create a traditional Welsh dresser. There is a small gesture of a mantelpiece. Pull this out and the wall surface pulls down and out, too, becoming the dining table with small shelves in the wall behind.

The two single beds can be used as beds or a bed and a sofa. One folds down and swings out, separating the kitchen area and, in a simple reminder of its original form, small cut logs function as legs. The second bed folds down from the opposite wall and rests on two small swing-out cupboard doors. This is a really clever flexible space: you can pull out the pieces of furniture you want when you need them.

FINISHING TOUCHES

Jane Field-Lewis, our stylist and co-author of this book, felt that the interior styling should reflect the character of each individual pod. She loved the architecture and design of the treehouse and believed that should lead the way. Each space needed a few carefully chosen additions to create an interior that was comfortable, beautiful, and as practical and stylish as the builds themselves. In their own way all the pods are clean-lined structures, which only need minimal furniture, so we selected small items that were in keeping with their design ethos and purpose.

The circular pod is an outdoorsy, semi-camping experience. It has a monastic feel with the small wood-burning stove and benches creating a contemplative and conversational space. A mixture of traditionally woven wool tartan blankets are piled up; if you want to sleep out, there are outdoor waterproof sleeping bag covers and enough logs to keep the fire lit all night.

This is an excerpt from George Clarke’s More Amazing Spaces by George Clarke and Jane Field-Lewis (published by Quadrille Publishing, distributed by Pan Macmillan South Africa). Catch season 2 of George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces on BBC Lifestyle (DStv channel 174). For more information about the show, visit channel4.com. The book is available at all leading bookstores.