Treehouse

The solar-powered school on stilts

By Jeff Salton

01:19 November 19, 2009 PST

It's almost as good as going to school in a treehouse. The recently opened Elleray Preparatory School in the Lake District National Park has three class pods standing on stilts connected by a center platform made from recycled materials, such as plastic milk bottles and wood shavings. Nestled amongst the trees, the complex is built to have a low environmental impact and therefore makes excellent use of solar power, rainwater collection, and has an energy-efficient heat pump. Read More

Treehouse escapes: re-live your childhood in style

By Noel McKeegan

19:38 November 20, 2008 PST

Treehouses have the ability to fire the imagination and transport you back to the long care-free afternoons of your childhood like almost nothing else. These days, the professionally crafted designs available far outstrip the rudimentary structures we would slap together during summer holidays and they are being used not just as magical playrooms for the kids but as spare guest bedrooms, entertainment areas, hotel escapes and even conference suites. The latest examples to cross our desk are these striking arboreal dwellings from Andreas Wenning of German architecture firm baumraum. Read More

For the kid with everything: designer treehouses

By Loz Blain

May 28, 2007 For kids lucky enough to have one, a treehouse is a kids-only haven of secret club meetings and imaginary adventures. If the one your Dad built you in a hail of thumb-hammering profanity was a bit of an eyesore, take a look at these magnificent pre-fab treehouses from California, built around dead or recycled logs and delivered to your back yard in six weeks. Stunning! Read More