My-pavilion.com

Unique Treehouse

Designer and woodwork master David Rasmussen has created this playful adult treehouse in Colorado, in conjunction with Green Line Architects. As explained on the GreenLine site, the treehouse is supported on four log columns, since the standing trees weren’t sturdy enough to support the structure. Another benefit is that you could pick your four point locations, and build on a sturdier, more rectangular footprint. The structure looks anything but rectangular, built one-of-a-kind with all handcraft detail.

You won’t find another one of these in a catalog.

Two Hiking Emergency Shelters

Although the purpose of these structures is for emergency – for example evacuations, earthquakes and homeless people – there are several ideas here that can be transposed into backyard or remote getaways for one to as many as four people. WebUrbanist provides sixteen different examples of emergency shelter, some real and others proposed designs.

Baumraum Treehouse

BaumRaum is the German expression for “Tree Space”. This company designs and builds unique custom tree houses throughout Europe. The quality and finish is more like a piece of fine furniture. As they describe them on their website, treehouses are “ . . . a promise of adventure for the kids, a retreat for the adults, a romantic hideaway close to nature.”

This charming studio getaway was created by Timber Design Limited, in Devon, U.K. the studio is nestled into a landscape with exquisite river views and is supported on a steel micro-pile foundation.

Principal Cameron Scott explains that sustainability guides the  design process and drives selection of materials.  Larch wood was selected for the major timber components because of its natural durability.  The building is insulated with sheep’s wool.  The roof covering is a simple corrugated sheet steel with an interesting glass entry awning.

Although the building appears to be simple, the connections, joinery of materials, and tolerances are more like those of a furniture cabinet.  For more information and photos, visit the TDL website.

On a cold winter day, the perfect getaway is an outdoor sauna.  Some of the best-built prefabricated structures are produced by sauna manufacturers, who have been building them for decades.

Unlike steam rooms, saunas capture dry heat from a variety of sources, the most common being electric. Some heat sources allow you to pour water over the coals, thereby controlling the humidity to some degree.

Sauna exteriors are most commonly clad in cedar, or the more expensive and lush mahogany species.  Both of them offer great resistance to rot and insect damage.

The best material to use inside a sauna is “clear heart” redwood.  Clear heart derives its name from where the lumber is extracted from the log.  Redwood is a relatively soft lumber and it’s extremely rot resistant. It also has a tendency to stay uniformly straight and is resistant to expansion and contraction due to heat changes – very important for saunas, whose temperatures can vary as much as 180 degrees within a 24 hour period.  Redwood emits a very pleasant odor and its color adds warmth and a feeling of well-being to the sauna interior.

For the modernist pavilion lovers, take a look at Kithaus. They describe what they manufacture as a “true modular site constructed pre-fabricated housing system”. Their structures are made from milled aluminum shapes that are pre-cut and drilled for easy installation. This makes the finished assembly very strong, yet lightweight and easy to transport. Co-owner Tom Sandonato tells us that Kithaus – through its marketing connection with Design Within Reach – is providing product coast-to-coast.