FRIDAY FUNNY: It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a Hotel????

Before the days of GPS, people would often spend hours searching around an unfamiliar place while looking for their hotel. But even modern day guests at Treehotel, which offers rooms incorporated into their natural surroundings, may need more than the most accurate satellite system to find their rooms in the sky.

This hotel is the collaborative effort of a group of entrepreneurs and consultants passionate about innovative, modern design and architecture; they’re also fascinated by the childhood idea of living in a tree den. Naturally, the construction and daily running of the Treehotel as green as possible.

Located in the village of Harads, Sweden, Treehotel offers rooms that vary in size from 15 to 30 square meters. The rooms are located up in pine trees between 4 to 6 meters from the ground and are accessed by either a ramp or sturdy stairs. Two of the rooms have electric retractable stairs. All rooms have their own living and sleeping areas, eco-friendly incineration toilets, and water efficient hand basins (so there is no artificial plumbing).

Treehotel offers six themed Treerooms created by five separate architects. The first four rooms, described below, are currently open:

Mirrorcube (designed by Bolle Tham & Martin Videgård): This lightweight aluminium structure hung around a tree trunk is made from 4x4x4 metre boxes clad in mirrored glass. The exterior reflects the surroundings and the sky, creating a camouflaged refuge. To prevent birds colliding with the tree hotel, an infrared film, visible for birds only, will be laminated into the glass panes.

The cube provides living space for two people: a double bed, bath and a living room and roof terrace. Access to the room is by a bridge. The interior is constructed from plywood, and the windows give a 360 degree view of the surroundings.

The Cabin (designed by Mårten Cyren & Gustav Cyren): This space is all about a room with a view. Built on high ground with a steep slope, the space provides a great view of the valley of the Luleå River.

The actual tree house is suspended from a deck, which hides the volume of the building so it looks like a capsule or cabin. The façade is unconventional: engineered fabrics used on lorries and trailer covers.

The Nest (designed by Inredningsgruppen/Bertil Harström). This concept is based upon the contrast between exterior and interior. From the outside it appears as a big nest, only the scale separating it from other nests in the vicinity. Discreet windows are almost hidden by the network of branches.

Inside it’s a high standard room with modern design. A coachwork panel decorates the inner wall. There is space and beds for a family with two children. The bedroom is a separate room with sliding doors. The nest is accessible by a retractable staircase.

Blue Cone (designed by Sandell Sandberg): To build a cabin in terrain with difficult access (and up in a tree) demands simplicity and lightness of materials and design. This tree room is founded on three points of support, which is accessible by a bridge from the mountain behind.

The building is a traditional wood construction with a façade of split birch. The windows: cupola of plastic. The dream of living in a tree need not be any more complicated than that.

Still under construction:

  • UFO (designed by Inredningsgruppen/Bertil Harström) will have four beds (one double bed and two single child beds); and
  • “A room with a view” (designed by Marge architects) will have one double bed.

In addition, the property will eventually have a sauna and a conference room for 12 guests. There will also be a briefing room with disabled access and facilities.