Tree's House

Tree’s House

Project manifest . 01

Key words . 02

Why temporary dormitories? . 03

Why a house? . 04

Why a tree’s house? . 05

What materials? . 06

How sustainable? . 07

Energy? . 08

Is it for everyone? . 09

Why the site? . 10

Project description . 12

References . 14

site/schemes/strategyTechnical drawingsTree’s House agregattionTree’s House detailsTree’s House on the sitePhotographs scale model 1:20

Tree’s House

Tree’s HouseProject manifest

It is not a tree house, because

it is not made of a tree…

It is not a tree house, because

it is not placed on a tree…

It is a Tree’s House, because

it sits next to a tree!!

It is, therefore, its house.

. 01

. 02InTer-acTIon comunI-caTIon sHar-Ing ex-cHange

Tree’s HouseWhy temporary dormitories?

From all the design concepts

available for this contest, the

temporary dormitories seemed

like the right choice to the

fulfillment of communication

and interaction between tourists,

or visitors and the city and the

people around the Via d’Acqua.

A temporary dormitory is a

settlement that provides sleeping

quarters for a number of persons,

housing them, and allowing and

stimulating the inhabitants to

commute to the city nearby for

recreation, shopping and culture.

. 03

. 04Tree’s HouseWhy a house?

It is the residence, temporary or permanent, that

connects us the most to a certain place.

It is the residence that balances all of our choices,

temporary or permanent ones. The resident usually

attends to his local cinemas, theatres, restaurants,

libraries and also takes contact and participates, whether

actively or passively, with local cultures.

The residence is the factor which determines the daily

routines. The resident becomes closer to the residence’s

surroundings. Temporary or permanently, the resident

will experience and communicate mostly to where he is

lodged.

So, a House is the first great mean to generate

socialization. It develops neighborhood to people, to

services and to leisure.

Tree’s HouseWhy a tree’s house?

The set for this contest is de Via

d’Acqua, which is an interrelated

park system. These parks are filled

with trees and vegetation. This

aspect led the project aim to find

a kind of construction that would

be related with the context.

The context has two aspects,

one environmental and the other

programmatic. Therefore, the

project had to resolve the way to

relate with the forest set and also

to be a temporary construction.

The concept of the tree house

rose among others, and it seemed

adequate to this problem,

once tree houses are buildings

constructed among the branches,

or around the trunk of one or

. 05

more mature trees, and are

raised above the ground. And

also tree houses can be used for

recreation, work space, habitation,

observation platforms, or as

temporary retreats.

Except the project would not be

a tree house, because it would

affect the existing trees, not

to mention having to make an

inventory of the trees which could

take such structure.

Therefore the project settled on

a structure that is based on the

tree house concept, but it does

not stand on a tree. It is beside

it, making that house, not a tree

house but the house of the tree –

Tree´s House.

. 06Tree’s HouseWhat materials?

Wood is the fundamental material

to this project. It was not just a

choice because of its warmth,

or texture, it was not just an

imposition by the contest to use

it. It is used as a matter of culture

in the construction of this kind of

structures.

Wood is used for structural

elements, due to its strength,

light weight and low cost. Steel is

used for brackets, cable and bolts.

Transparent plastic is used for the

fenestration.

Tree’s HouseHow sustainable?

This project is an integrated approach to design. It promotes

conservation, including energy efficiency. It considers environmental

impacts and waste minimization. It reduces operation and maintenance

costs. It address issues such as historical and ecosystem preservation,

access to public transportation and other community infrastructure

systems. The entire life cycle of the building and its components is

considered, as well as the economic and environmental impact and

performance.

The Tree’s House is an eco-friendly project, once it does not require a

clearing of a certain area of the forest and the soil is always permeable.

The Tree’s House can be fully recycled, and its components re-used.

The expo 2015 will be opened at 1 st of May and it will end at 31 st of

October. So, it will take place during the summer. In this way the project

has a passive refrigeration system that functions by the opening of

the vertical windows, allowing the air to circle and recycle while being

expelled, along with the hot air, by the skylight. The façade, while being

structural, is also a protective shield from the sun rays.

. 07

. 08Tree’s Houseenergy?

The Tree’s House as integrated a

mean of natural energy resource.

The Geothermal energy allows the

natural heating of a radiant floor.

This system is integrated in the

stilts, functioning as an irrigation

mechanism, that connects the

Tree’s House to the Earth, using its

natural heat.

Tree’s HouseIs it for everyone?

The Tree’s House project conceives some variants

to the main project, so that it can be accessible

for everyone. The Tree’s House is to be a special

experience, where the temporary residents get to be

in touch with the surrounding, and by being elevated

observe and merge with the vegetation and the tree

cups. Even so, the project can vary in terms of height,

not losing its identity. The stilts, by being shorter in

some contexts, allow the establishment with particular

topography and the accessibility for elder and

handicap people.

In this way, it can be said that the Tree’s House project

is for everywhere and everyone!

. 09

. 10Tree’s HouseWhy this site?

The site for this project is all Via d’Acqua.

The Tree’s Houses are to be implanted allong all the

parks. This will answer the enrichment of “the city,

create flows of different people (from the areas of the

city surrounding the sites crossed by the Vie d’Acqua)

and welcome residents, visitors, tourists to the city”.

While being placed in an urban scale, each one of

the Tree’s Houses will function locally. It will be the

place to welcome and to lodge the visitors. They

will become residents in the parks of Via d’Acqua,

contributing to synergize with the city around their

settlement.

The Tree’s Houses are to be interpreted as temporary

dormitories where the visitors, tourists and even

local residents can stay lodged. It is thought that

there should be a lime limit for the stay – as example,

maximum two nights in the same Tree’s House – for

a regime of rotation to be installed, contributing to

more interaction, communication, sharing, exchange,

dialogue between people and parts of the city.

Tree’s HouseWhy this site?

. 11

The future temporary residents of Via d’Acqua will

be hosted at the core, while being able to establish

contacts in every direction. They will use the local

caffes, libraries, supermarkets, close to their Tree’s

House, talk to the locals, exchange experiences.

This idea is based on the notion of residence/

resident. As soon as the tourist or the visitor finds

his temporary residence, he becomes a temporary

resident in that part of the city where he’s settled.

This factor is extremely important for the temporary

resident to get to know the new environment.

The city around the Via d’Acqua will be open to new

experiences provided by the temporary residents

of the park system. And because they are lodged

in the parks they will need the city to the daily

routines, using its transportations, its services. This

motivates movements from and to the place of

temporary residence. These constant flows are vital

for the fulfillment of socialization and exchange of

experiences and cultures.

. 12Tree’s HouseProject description

The project is an elevated

structure on stilts.

The program is developed on a

quadrangular plan, in one floor.

The Tree’s House is one single

space with no walls, where two

static cylindrical volumes that

contain the staircase and the small

bathroom.

There are no walls in the project

because the essence of the tree

house concept is to gather in and

around. To design this project with

walls and with special hierarchies

(private areas, social areas etc)

would be like making a motel on a

tree. It certainly was not the idea.

The main thought was that each

Tree’s House could be a place

where there were no barriers and

it would be open to every possible

organization. It is an informal

space.

The façades represent the

structure. The vertical wooden

beams design a shape like a

pyramid, resembling like a house

shape. The space between the

wooden beams generates a grid

that allows light entrance and

sightseeing for the surrounding

tree cups.

The Tree’s House promotes

the relation between interior

and exterior. The ground level

functions as a “porch” or sheltered

area not only for the residents, but

also for the parks pedestrians. The

ground floor is like a square or a

“piazza” where people can gather

while crossing Via d’Acqua.

Mobile boxes contain the beds for

the residents. This factor allows

constant space (re)organization.

Tree’s HouseProject description

. 13

These boxes have two sizes for

couples and singles.residents of

the park system. And because

they are lodged in the parks they

will need the city to the daily

routines, using its transportations,

its services. This motivates

movements from and to the place

of temporary residence. These

constant flows are vital for the

fulfillment of socialization and

exchange of experiences and

cultures.

. 14Tree’s Housereferences

The exhibition by Tadashi

Kawamata in Madison

Square Garden was an

interesting example that

could show the spirit of

the Tree’s House as a

Social Club.

The tree houses

cohabitate with the park

and interrelate with the

city around and with

the public. However the

theme of this exhibition

isn´t compatible with the

theme of the contest, it

constitutes as a formal

example of how the Tree’s

Houses may be seen from

the city around the Via

d’Acqua.

VIa d’acqua and THe cITy

. 15 Tree’s Housesite/schemes/strategy

VIa d’acqua neT-Work

. 17 Tree’s Housesite/schemes/strategy

TecH-nIcal draW-Ings

. 20

. 21 Tree’s Houseground Floor + 0.50m

0 1m 2m

. 22Tree’s HouseFloor Plan + 9.90m

0 1m 2m

. 23 Tree’s HouseFloor Plan + 12.90m

0 1m 2m

. 24Tree’s Houseroof Plan + 12.90m

0 1m 2zzm

. 25 Tree’s Housesection aB

0 2m 4m

. 26Tree’s Housesection cd

0 2m 4m

. 27 Tree’s Housesection eF

0 2m 4m

. 28Tree’s Houseelevation 1

0 2m 4m

. 29 Tree’s Houseelevation 2

0 2m 4m

. 30Tree’s Houseelevation 3

0 2m 4m

. 31 Tree’s Housecouple and single boxes

0 1m

couple Box

couple Box

Plan section aB section cd


couple Box

couple Box



. 32Tree’s Housecouple and single boxes

section eF elevation

section eF elevationsection gH

section eF elevation

section eF elevationsection gH

Tree’s House agre-

gaTTIon

. 34Tree’s Houseground Floor + 9.90m

. 35 Tree’s HouseFloor Plan + 9.90m

. 36Tree’s Houseroof Plan + 9.90m

. 37 Tree’s HouseFloor Plan 9.90m

. 38Tree’s Houseelevation

. 40

Tree’s House deTaIls

. 41 Tree’s Housedetails 1:20

. 42Tree’s Housedetails 1:20 | 1:10

Tree’s House

on THe sITe

. 44Tree’s Houseon the site

. 45 Tree’s Houseon the site



PHoTo-graPHs

scale model

1:20

. 50Tree’s HousePhotographs scale model 1:20

. 51 Tree’s HousePhotographs scale model 1:20


. 53 Tree’s HousePhotographs scale model 1:20


Tree’s House

Documents

Tree's House