Kew Gardens Tree Houses

The Museum of London organised an open competition, ‘Treehouses at Kew’, an outdoor architectural exhibition of seven treehouses set across Kew Gardens’ iconic 320-acre landscape. Most Architecture presented two tree house concepts that addressed three aspects of the competition brief: highlighting nature’s architecture and biomimicry, celebrating play, and showcasing pioneering sustainable materials and innovative design.

  • Type Leisure
  • Location Kew Gardens, London
  • Status Competition entry
  • Year 2022
Kew Gardens Tree Houses
Kew Gardens Tree Houses

The Ropehouse Tower tree house concept wraps around a major branch of the black pine, and is accessed by a tapered, gently-sloping ramp, after which visitors circulate on a wide, raised CLT ring. Individual hemp ropes begin in a central trampoline-like mesh, extend outwards in two directions to form the external walls of the tower, wrap over the skylight ring, then dangle downwards terminating in pods and vials of botanical interest, while some cords ‘forage’ onto and along the grass. These cords are hyphae to the tower’s mycelium – mimicking how fungal micro-threads grow, forage and coordinate into intricate, efficient, beautiful, and ever-changing macro-structures in a symbiotic relationship with their host tree.

Kew Gardens Tree Houses

Contemporary architecture typically combines many highly-specialised structures and materials. We challenge that, demonstrating how even single threads can perform different architectural functions – a bare simplicity which may indicate responses to the climate crisis. The pods contain botanical samples and seeds – to be observed, shaken, smelled, and even listened to. The vessels swing and vibrate in the breeze – creating a gentle percussive ‘acoustic rain’, while motion provokes stimulating scents from many samples. Visitors can learn from short written explanations on the pods themselves, audio recordings and extended QR code information.

Kew Gardens Tree Houses

The Teahouse Treehouse unites tea drinking traditions from across the globe. Many unusual plants are used in hot drinks all over the world, and our proposal presents this diverse collection of dried plants together with information about each infusion, accessible through a digital application. Visitors approach the treehouse on a long linear ramp, lightly supported by a low horizontal branch of a silver lime. The elevated platform, overhanging roof, and laconic shape reference Asian tea house traditions. An external balcony allows for smooth circulation, whilst providing opportunities to appreciate the landscape from fresh angles. The tree canopy is visible through the roof.

Kew Gardens Tree Houses

The tranquil interior presents as a library; an archive of different teas and other infusions. The walls are made from mycelium bricks, developed especially for the project, which interlock without additional fixings, and incorporate biodegradable vials with leaves, flowers, bark and roots. With light filtering through each vial, velvety smooth bricks, textured flooring, dampened exterior sound, and the plant smells emanating through braille perforations in the vial lids, the teahouse pavilion creates a powerful and memorable multi-sensory experience.

Related projects

Loading