BAUKASTEN: To live like an ape-man

When I was a kid, I never had a treehouse. Now I want one terribly. Lately treehouses have been gaining popularity as part of a novelty vaction experience. Anywhere from the tropical, Ewok-style shelters to the masterfully crafted Free Spirit Spheres (www.freespiritspheres.com), people have become fascinated.

If one happens to be travelling in Qualicum, British Columbia, one can enjoy this:

If you aren't near Canada, however, it might just be cheaper (and more fun) to build one's own.

This morning, ruminating over a hot cup off coffee, I started looking at the trees outside and began to picture this little spheres hanging between them. Beautiful though they are, I couldn't help but think that their spherical nature must render them both difficult and expensive to construct. I happened to look up just then at the gable of a building opposite ours, and realized that I had an idea that would be much simpler.

So, dragging open an ancient CAD program that I love (designworkshop), I drew up a quick design. My model looked a bit spare, so I threw in a rather arbitrary plaform in a larger tree, and a greenhouse that could hold a number of amenities that cannot be supplied by the treehouses.

The model is VERY rough, but I like the way it came out.