Tropical “Treehouse” in Sao Pãulo
When the architects over at Perkins + Will were asked to design a tropical home in Alto de Pinheiros, Sao Pãulo, Brazil, they were charged with the task of incorporating the area’s lush greenery into a livable structure. Specifically, the team’s clients wanted one of the on-site trees to be worked into a sprawling 1,000 square meter plan. By the time construction was completed, an entirely new type of “treehouse” had been born.
“We at Perkins+Will reaffirm our commitment to design healthy, sustainable places that promote holistic well-being for people and our environment, and our belief that forward-thinking design is fundamental to advancing a competitive economy. This includes planning for and reducing the effects of climate change, because the best design solutions consider the future, making positive contributions and enduring over time.
Today, we are part of a sweeping national coalition of communities, cities, states, NGOs, universities, and corporations that are working together to drive climate action in the United States. These intrepid, progressive entities have committed to accelerating the rate of emissions reduction in the U.S. to the point where we meet our contributions under the Paris Agreement.”
The firm’s Sao Pãulo treehouse is a great example of their forward-thinking design strategies. Plus, it’s just a beautiful piece of architecture to behold. Everyone likes the concept of bringing the outside into their homes, but it’s not every day that one sees it executed on such a grand scale. To avoid harming this sizable tree during the construction process, Perkins + Will created a digital 3-D image of it before doing anything else. That way, its dimensions could easily be worked into their plans.