While we love the dangling treetop retreats located at Sweden's Treehotel, and the House Arc had us yearning for a private backyard hideaway, the eco-PERCH has to be the Rolls Royce of modern modular tree-houses. This eco-lodge concept was created by the UK architectural firm Blue Forest, which has a background in the design and construction of luxury treehouses and lodges.
The eco-PERCH reflects a natural and organic geometry that's designed to maximize the relationship between the inside space and the outdoor setting. The retreat is intended to sit harmoniously within its environment, whether that be resting on the earth, or as its name suggests, perched amongst the tree tops. The prefabricated unit sleeps four and comes complete with a modern kitchen and full bathroom facilities.
"The eco-PERCH manages to feel contemporary whilst maintaining a natural woodland feel," Simon Payne, Director of Blue Forest told Gizmag. "The bold curved shape is both striking and iconic ... hopefully not something you would forget in a hurry."
The highly-insulated building can be installed within five days and featuressustainable construction materials, real wood engineered flooring, double-glazed windows, thermostatically controlled heating, a log burning stove, wall-mounted flat screen TV and DVD, low voltage LED lighting, internal softwood doors, an "A" rated LPG hot water heating system, and provision for grey water drainage.
The exterior is comprised of FSC external tongue and groove timber cladding, cedar roof shingles, an outdoor deck, and log storage space. The 6 (w) x 8 (l) x 3-meter (h) (19.7 x 26 x 9.8-ft) tree-house has been designed to offer a 15 year life-span, although the makers expect it to last longer.
The eco-PERCH also has the added option of being transformed into an off-the-grid hideaway. Blue Forest offers a complete sustainable system that includes photovoltaic solar energy, a composting toilet, rainwater harvesting system and a methanol fuel cell. Furthermore, the building has been designed to conform with the Caravan & Mobile Homes Act (UK) and although it has been predominantly marketed towards Country Hotels and Boutique Accommodation businesses, we think it could make a great additional to the backyard or as an alternative for a low-impact holiday home.
"We have had a huge interest from private land owners/private estates that are looking for a unique and attractive accommodation building, but would prefer not to install an ugly caravan or a cheap log cabin on their land" said Payne.
While the eco-PERCH is the latest concept from Blue Forest, the firm was also behind the construction of a remarkable Romeo and Juliet-inspired treehouse. This upscale project was designed for family living and features two tree-top retreats, ideal for separate adult's and children's quarters. The two sections are joined by a canopy walkway, and the children's quarters feature three medieval towers only connected to the adult's treehouse by several rope bridges. To indulge the treehouse fantasy, the kid's hideaway also features a secret trapdoor that leads into a games room, and an 80-yard (73-meter) zip wire that delivers the children to an exciting assault course.
In the future we can expect to see "loads more crazy tree houses, new customized building designs like the eco-PERCH and some secret ground-breaking tree house projects (we will let you know when we can)," revealed Payne.
The eco-PERCH will be officially launched at Grand Designs Live, taking place May 5th - 13th at the ExCel London convention center. It is priced between GBP50,000 - 60,000 (approx. US$78,800 - US$94,600), depending on specifications.
More images of Blue Forest's Romeo and Juliet treehouse can be seen in the video below.
Source: Blue Forest
