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Yellow Treehouse Cafe - A Tree House Restaurant
The Yellow Treehouse Cafe, a beautiful tree house restaurant, is located in a top secret location near Warkworth, north of Auckland, New Zealand.
(Yellow Treehouse Cafe in New Zealand)
Built ten meters up a redwood tree, it was designed by Tracey Collins; the plans were drawn up by Pacific Environments Architects. The project was supported by Yellow Pages; all of the work was done by contractors found in the Yellow Pages - hence Yellow Treehouse Cafe.
(Tree House Restaurant interior view)
It’s inspired through many forms found in nature -the chrysalis/cocoon protecting the emerging butterfly/moth, perhaps an onion/garlic clove form hung out to dry. It is also seen as a lantern, a beacon at night that simply glows yet during the day it might be a semi camouflaged growth, or a tree fort that provides an outlook and that offers refuge.The plan form also has loose similarities to a sea shell with the open ends spiralling to the centre.The selected site and tree had to meet a myriad of functional requirements -18 seated people and waiting staff in relative comfort complete with a bar; gaining correct camera angles with associated light qualities for filming the adverts, web cam and stills, have unobstructed views into the valley and entrance to the site and structural soundness . The final selected tree is one of the larger trees on the site and sits above a steep part of the site which accentuates the tree's height. Kitchen/catering facilities and toilets are at ground level.
The Architectural component embodies a simple oval form wrapped ‘organically’ around the trunk and structurally tied at top and bottom, with a circular plan that is split apart on the axis with the rear floor portion raised. This allows the approach from the rear via a playful tree-top walkway experience, slipping inside the exposed face of the pod and being enchanted by the juxtaposition of being in an enclosed space that is also quite 'open' and permeable to the treetop views. There is also a ‘Juliet’ deck opposite the entrance that looks down the valley.
Fans of science fiction Grandmaster Jack Vance will be searching for the Yellow Treehouse Cafe - with copies of The Houses of Iszm, his 1954 novel about a world where tree houses are grown, not built. They were fully equipped - food was provided by the house trees.
From within the [house tree] came the sound of a plucked string. Farr turned to find two attendants carrying in a tall compartmented buffet laden with food. Farr ate wafers, fruits, marine tubers and pastes while Xi Aurigae bulged gradually over the horizon...
From Yellow Treehouse Cafe (lots more pictures plus construction details) via modahouse.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 2/10/2009)
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