Brownhill Creek Treehouse | Experiences
Produced by Kathryn Heywood A1773161
Contents Brownhill Creek - Site Location 4 Site and Prevailing Winds 5 Tree Location 7 Site Assesment - Scale 8 Concept Sketch 9 Views and Vista’s 10 Brownhill Creek - Concept Design Treehouse Concept Design 14 Framing and Structure 16 East Elevation 16 West Elevation 16
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Brownhill Creek - Site Location
Brownhill Creek is approximately 7 kms from the Adelaide CBD, located in Adelaides foothills. Within reach of public transport and located next to a Tourist Park. Heritage area with pristine natural bushland. A place to reconnect.
Site Brownhill and Prevailing Creek - Site Winds Location
Chosen Tree
The site elevation is between 150-250 metres above sea level. North facing at grassed area which could be repurposed for a variety of uses - education, communcal cooking area, indigenous and ecological education. My vision is that this segment of the site remains relatively natrual, utilizing materials such as dry stone walling/ seating to encapsulate the essence of the site and utilize the shade to the North, North East by a hilly outcrop. . Prevailing winds at the site coming from the West/SouthWest. Selected tree is located 1/3 into the site if entering the trail from the South Western end.
Tree Location
My chosen tree viewed from North-North West aspect of the site
Site Assesment - Scale
My selected tree, I am on the North pointing directly to the south.
South East View
Concept Sketch
Views and Vista’s
One of the main design considerations was utlitizing the view to it;s best advantage and aligning the treehouse to gain protection from the prevailing gully winds. Access from the childrens area down directly into the creek through a trap door and a ladder was also key in my choice of tree and the orientation on the site.
Northern View from the treehouse
North-Norht Eastern View from the treehouse
Brownhill Creek - Concept Design
The essence of the site I want to capture is being a kid again. A true sense of adventure. A crows nest for viewing, what ecological magic can one experience at this site. Birdwatching from up high in the tree and able to see over and through the treetops to expereicne the true essence of the site. For the children to be as interactive as possible. A tree house emotes play and engagement with the landcape. In translation the design requires playful elements, such as a climbing steps to gain access, the ability to
be able to climb onto the branches once you are in the physical structure is appealing to me. To sit and read a book amongst the treetops in a hammock appeals to my design intent. The luggage would arrive via flying fox which can be accessed from the roadway, enabling the children to surruptisoulsy “help” the adults relax and have a break at the site. The flying fox could also connect the other trees in the family group at the site to deliver meals or food and supplies at times. Concptually the form it takes could be stepped or overlapped so that you need to climb to variouS layers within the building, separating the children from the adults
The block style structure could follow the natrual ow of the cadastal map, mimmicking the forms of the natural contours and height changes of the landscape. Orientation around the trees will need to take the prevailing wind direction in to account.
Treehouse Concept Design The concept of not touching the landscape is important to me. Allowing the tree to grow through the strucutre over time. My ďŹ rst iteration of this interpretation is a humpey style dwelling as sketch left. Another important consideration for me is the access. There could be a ramp from the road to one level of the structure and may extend to allow access to the northern grassed area. The same section you could incorporate a ying fox to both deliver the luggage and allow the children to be the leaders of the stay. It could also be used as a play mechanism and go between multiple treehouses or
simply from the strucure to the road and back. My inital concept is that a crows nest is the centrepiece of the design sitting unobtrusively in the centre of the tree, not touching it at all. Everything else will structure around this vantage point. Block style structures have been thought about so that climbing can continue as part of the internal structure of the building and gain various differing vantage points along the way.
The block style structure could follow the natrual flow of the cadastal map, mimmicking the forms of the natural contours and height changes of the landscape. A gap inbetween structures would allow separate living quarters and an unobstructred connection directly to the landscape. On of my designs in red (left) indicates an area where the balcony floor would enable the occupants to view the river below. Each concept has a central landing. The thinking behind this is
that it’s a crows nest structure that children can egage with the view and come and go as they please up and down the tree and allow those not that confident to have secruity of the structure below to stretch their tree climbing skills. The whole idea of being in the treehouse is to envoke a
sense of play from both the children and the adults, or disabled occupants as well. In my diagaram (bottom left) you could also rig up a hammock structure for sleeping outdoor, reading and relaxing outside and utilising all your senses at the site. The drawing (bottom row,
second from the left) has the intention of wrapping around the tree and allowing room for growth and change over years to come. With one side, most likely the west side to have a balcony enabling viewer to see down river and also experience sunrise and sunset from this
Framing and Structure
East Elevation
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West Elevation
Framing in Green
Base view
The construction process would be 1) Construct the timber framing at the site for the triangluar base, 240x 45 beams 2) Place in the footing holes, lift frame into place and pour footings 3) Add triangular framing strucutre to the crows nest and base rectangular frame for the main treehouse.
Isometric view South East
4) When concrete is set, add timber joists to the base crows nest frame and main base. 5) add walls to main structure
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Plan view with tree
Dry Slate wall would be applied to the communal spaces in the grassed areas on the the sites N-East with the hillside as shade. Seating and cooking and education areas.
Community 3 4 1 2
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Each tree in the communitynity will be linked by a small bridge allowing occupants to move between the treehouses freely and instigate the community connection. The grassed area with be developed into seating areas utilizing the natural curves of the hillside for shade and dry slate walling and seating will follow the hill formation. Communal spaces which can be utilized for multipurposes. Cooking, storytelling, ecological and Indigenous education, informal gathering or resting place for walkers, refueling station for pets. My vision is to engage vistors with larger scale art projects that ďŹ t with the environment and made from all natural materials as set out in the precedents section.
Community Browhill Creek has a essence you can only capture by being totally present in the space. It has a sprituality and tenacity like no other place I know. The intention of my design project is to enhance connection with ourselves and the environment in the most unassuming way. For the environment to be enhanced by natural elements, and for the site to remain relatively untouched. Through this project I learnt so much from mere observation of simple actions, subconciously enacted by my children, the true observers of nature. Insightful, inquisitive, unassuming and adaptive. Utilising all their senses, including their sixth sense to play in the environment. My children are lucky to get to experience sites and be absorbed in the natrual environment often. The project outcome is to entice this wonder and enqiry in those who have not experienced such, and gain that meaningful connection with the environment and each other... That missing piece in a world full of busy... Take yourself there, remind yourself of the joy of nature and the joy of being a child. You might learn something new, about yourself and the world around you. These kids need this for their future. They need you to invest in them and the world we are the current custodians of, we owe it to them and to ourselves. You know you deserve it. The results might surprise you!! Just like they did for me...
Wonder
Engage
Discover
Explore
Geometry
The geometry of a tree
The geometry of a hammock
Raianting Geometry
Cluster Geometry
The geometry of happinesss
Curve Geometry
The geometry of calm
Shadow Geometry
Leave with that feeling!
Š K H D a
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