Urban Treehouses in Berlin Equipped with Kitchen and Bath for Long-Term Living

Located in Berlin, this project known as Urban Treehouse showcases a modern design that has the possibility for long-term living. Baumraum is a firm known for this type of elevated architecture, and they created the treehouses as an experimental research project. They're set within a community of residential buildings with larger properties and gardens – much different than a rural area surrounded by nature. The design intends to add to the city's collection of small alternative constructions, all while preserving the nearly 7,000 square-foot tree population around it.

Urban Treehouse consists of two near-identical cubic units that each have 226 square feet of living space, including a kitchen and bathroom. Both hover on a 13 foot-high base and have a lower terrace that's 8.5 feet from the ground. For one of the treehouses, the flight of stairs is supported by flexible suspensions from a nearby oak.

The structures cleverly conceal their utilities, supply circuit, and storage space in the bases. Their overall load-bearing design, supports, and frames are made of galvanized steel sections with solid prefabricated five-layer spruce panels used in the walls, ceiling, and floor. The brightly-lit, warm-wood interiors are offset by exterior aluminum composite panels. This juxtaposition creates a clean, modern feel, that makes them more than just a weekend getaway.

Photography by Laura Fiorio

baumraum website
via [designboom and ArchDaily]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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