HemLoft treehouse is a quiet forest retreat ... if you can find it
« Back to Article
Described by its creator as "a secret treehouse hiding in the woods of Whistler," the story of the HemLoft is one with an uncertain ending (Photo: Heidi Hermanski)
Unlike many buildings that describe themselves such, the HemLoft is a treehouse in the truest sense: the entire weight of the egg-shaped structure is supported by the tree around which it is built (Photo: Heidi Hermanski)
"The first thing to catch my eye was a sun-lit moss covered outcropping at the top," Joel writes (Photo: Heidi Hermanski)
Hatched windows in the HemLoft's roof (Photo: Heidi Hermanski)
After several outdoorsy trips to Alaska with a friend, Joel came up with the idea of building "a little loft in the woods," but was dissatisfied with the treehouse designs he'd seen (Photo: Heidi Hermanski)
Joel in the HemLoft (Photo: Heidi Hermanski)
Shelf space in the HemLoft's interior (Photo: Heidi Hermanski)
"The first thing to catch my eye was a sun-lit moss covered outcropping at the top," Joel writes (Photo: Heidi Hermanski)
After a period of building scaled-down models, Joel was convinced of the inherent structural soundness of an ovoid skeleton (Photo: Heidi Hermanski)
HemLoft's exterior deck (Photo: Heidi Hermanski)
After two months of searching, Joel found his tree (Photo: Heidi Hermanski)
HemLoft's exterior deck (Photo: Heidi Hermanski)
Joel and Heidi on the HemLeft's deck (Photo: Heidi Hermanski)
He spent some time mulling the problem with friends and architecture grads Mark and Jayne. It was Jayne that eventually hatched the idea of an egg-shaped structure - an idea Joel describes as "a moment of cosmic brilliance" (Photo: Heidi Hermanski)
The HemLoft's comfortable interior (Photo: Heidi Hermanski)
The Hemloft's entrance gangway (Photo: Heidi Hermanski)
The HemLoft's workspace with a view (Photo: Heidi Hermanski)
(Photo: Heidi Hermanski)
Essentials (Photo: Heidi Hermanski)
One suspects that the final chapter of the HemLoft's story is not yet written (Photo: Heidi Hermanski)
Article Summary
Described by its creator as "a secret treehouse hiding in the woods of Whistler," in the Canadian province of British Columbia, the HemLoft is, unlike many buildings that describe themselves such, a treehouse in the truest sense: the entire weight of the egg-shaped structure is supported by the tree around which it is built. Though welcome to visitors - the right sort of visitors, at least - one first has to find it. And the ongoing story of the HemLoft's ever-widening profile is as compelling as the story of its construction - and it's a story with an uncertain ending.
« Back to HemLoft treehouse is a quiet forest retreat ... if you can find it
Other Images from this Gallery
Related Articles
-
The arctic holiday with an arboreal twist
3rd June, 2011
-
Oregon man thrashes local children in treehouse-building contest
20th January, 2010
-
For the kid with everything: designer treehouses
28th May, 2007
-
The Magic of a treehouse
13th May, 2006
-
Eco-PERCH is the Rolls Royce of treehouses
1st March, 2012
-
Treehouse escapes: re-live your childhood in style
20th November, 2008
