Atelier LAVIT is a Paris based architectural and design studio and it just completed the stunning Origin Treehouse nestled around a 100-year old oak tree. The Origin Treehouse, located in Raray, France is inspired by a bird’s nest and is the latest addition to the Les Cabanes des Grands Chênes treehouse hotel.
“The architectural challenge for Atelier LAVIT was to create a functional and comfortable hotel room, being faithful to the first inspiration of the project: a bird nest,” said, Marco Lavit from Atelier LAVIT. The 23 square meter treehouse cabin was built using locally sourced timber and is designed in such a way that it gives the guests the impression of being a natural extension of the tree.
One thing that makes the Origin Treehouse special is that it can be completely dismantled without causing any damage to the tree and re-built on another sire. Natural fibre insulation, comprised of sheep wool, wood fibre and hemp materials, was used throughout the dwelling.
“Our woods come from local forest species so as to limit the carbon footprint, and are replanted to ensure the renewal of the forest,” says Lavit. “We only use wood from PFC-certified forests: Douglas fir and larch are the most used species because they are naturally rot-proof, so they do not need treatment.”
The interior of the treehouse has large glass windows overlooking the lush treetop views and the cabin itself is luxurious. It houses a vast interior with a cosy lounge area, double bedroom, dressing room, a fully equipped bathroom no a separate level, and a rooftop terrace. A wooden ladder hidden along one of the cabin’s exterior walkways leads up to the terrace and provides a 360-degree view of the forest. “[It’s] as surprising as unexpected because it’s hidden by the exterior wooden cladding,” says Atelier LAVIT.
“I love the feeling of manipulating the architecture as a 1:1 scale project, during the conceptual process, it’s something closer to an object or a living architecture and I love to think about new space solutions in order to fit the maximum comfort in a minimum space,” says Lavit, when asked what he loves about working with small spaces.
You can take a look at it in the video below:
