The Shell House designed by Artechnic

The Shell House designed by Artechnic, something that you would expect to see on the shore of the ocean, is one of the most amazing architectural designs I’ve seen. Deep in the woods of Karuizawa, in the Nagano prefecture of Japan, this amazing double-elliptical holiday retreat, features lots of space and is made of reinforced concrete and wood to preserve the Japanese “traditions”. Inspired from the conch-shell, the amazing shape really got us drooling, but even though it’s an amazing structure I’m not sure if I’d be able to live with the animals. Would you?

German company Baumraum has taken the concept of the treehouse and literally launched it sky high. A collaborative effort between “an architect, a landscape architect, an arbologist, and a craftsman”, the foursome design natural, modern bespoke treehouses for couples named Annika and Christophe and others. Treehouses can be built in virtually any tree or trees, to any given specification – horizontal, upright, two storey, interconnected – with ropes and stilts often employed to guarantee stability. Built predominantly from larch and Douglas pine, the designers are happy to experiment with stainless steel, textiles and other materials to create truly unique spaces. The pieces are prefabricated and then brought together on site.

What’s more “treespaces can be outfitted with sitting and sleeping benches, storage spaces, a mini-kitchen, heating, glass windows, lighting, as well as a sound system for multimedia”, turning your treehouse into a fully functioning pad. So back to the houseguests, while treehouse maybe an open invitation to any for any teenager to come and stay for an extended period of time, it will at least deter vertigo-ridden great aunts. You win some, you lose some.