Treehouse
Treehouses are platforms or buildings built into a tree. They are constructed around, next to, or in mature trees. They are usually above ground level. Tree houses can be used for recreation, work space or as an observation deck. A tree house can be a peaceful quiet place for seclusion or solitude.
Practical uses[change | change source]
Treehouses are often built for children to play.[1] They are a natural extension of children's love of climbing trees.[1] Treehouses can also be a casual retreat or working space, especially if provided with electricity. In many parts of the world guests can rent a treehouse.[2] They can also stay in a treehouse hotel.[3]
Sometimes they are built for protection against wild animals. In some parts of the tropics, houses are either fastened to trees[4] or elevated on stilts.[5] This is to keep the living quarters above the ground to protect occupants. A tree house can also be a place to store food from scavenging animals. The Korowai, a Papuan tribe in the southeast of Irian Jaya, live in tree houses.[6] Some are nearly 40 metres (130 ft) high (see image below).[6] They are used as protection against a tribe of neighbouring head-hunters, the Citak.[7]
Tree houses are an option for building eco-friendly houses in remote forest areas.[6] They do not require a clearing of a certain area of forest. Because they are elevated or built into forested areas, they are not desirable to some people.
Gallery[change | change source]
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Disneyland's Tarzan's treehouse -
Bewilderwood near Norfolk -
A Korowai tree house -
A platform tree house -
A tree house on stilts -
Interior of a guest tree house
References[change | change source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 John Harris, Treehouses: View from the Top (Guilford, CT: Lyons Press, 2003), p. 6
- ↑ "Treehouses". Glamping Hub. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
- ↑ Damon Tabor (12 April 2013). "World's Coolest Tree-House Hotels". Travel and Leisure. Time Inc. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
- ↑ Lon Levin, Knack Treehouses (Guilford, CT: Morris Book Publishing, 2010), pp. 132–133
- ↑ David Clark, Ultimate Treehouses (Philadelphia: Courage Books, 2003), p. 18
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Candida Collins, The Treehouse Book (New York, NY: Skyhorse Publishing, 2009), p. 6
- ↑ Head-Hunters Drove Papuan Tribe Into Tree-Houses
More reading[change | change source]
- Iggulden, Hal; Iggulden, Conn (2007). "Building a Treehouse". The Dangerous Book for Boys. New York: HarperCollins. pp. 21–26. ISBN 978-0061243585.
Other websites[change | change source]
- Amazing Treehouses
- Sphere Tree House
- Short documentary
- Map of tree houses & treehouse hotels from around the world Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine
