Pacific Environments Architects is building a unique treehouse restaurant in New Zealnd. They have pictures and descriptions of the restaurant plans here. The restaurant will seat eighteen people and offer views into the valley below.
The selected site and tree had to meet a myriad of functional requirements -18 seated people and waiting staff in relative comfort complete with a bar; gaining correct camera angles with associated light qualities for filming the adverts, web cam and stills, have unobstructed views into the valley and entrance to the site and structural soundness. The final selected tree is one of the larger trees on the site and sits above a steep part of the site which accentuates the tree's height. Kitchen/catering facilities and toilets are at ground level.
The Architectural component embodies a simple oval form wrapped 'organically' around the trunk and structurally tied at top and bottom, with a circular plan that is split apart on the axis with the rear floor portion raised. This allows the approach from the rear via a playful tree-top walkway experience, slipping inside the exposed face of the pod and being enchanted by the juxtaposition of being in an enclosed space that is also quite 'open' and permeable to the treetop views. There is also a 'Juliet' deck opposite the entrance that looks down the valley.
Yellow Pages New Zealand is behind the Yellow Treehouse Restaurant and they have a detailed website with blogs and videos detailing the construction and progress here. The restaurant will open to customers in 2009.
