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Nut Room

An old walnut tree, full of life, and of strikingly attractive size, stands at the rear of a terrace house property in the Düsseldorf district of Oberkassel. It is the perfect spot for a treehouse. A design for this space in the nut tree was quickly devised, but the construction work could not start as fast: building regulations can be very strict in this kind of inner-city location. Because of the close proximity of the neighbours’ properties, those neighbours’ approval would be required before this little project could go ahead – so good powers of persuasion were called for. Thanks to the client’s charm, two of the neighbours agreed to allow a reduction in the statutory distance between properties. Because the neighbour on the east side did not give his permission, however, the originally planned size of the terrace had to be reduced. Once these time-consuming but not insignificant details were taken care of, the building permit was issued. Before the treehouse could be placed in the tree, it had to be lifted over the terrace house with a large truck-mounted crane, which made it necessary to block off the entire street. The prefabricated treehouse was then rolled to the tree, where it was brought into position using a trestle and a hoist. To ensure that the treehouse only subjected the walnut tree to minor loads, an independent static system was chosen for the treehouse. The rounded treehouse rests on eight, slender asymmetrically arranged stainless steel supports. Thanks to the arrangement of the supports, which appears accidental, the little construction somewhat resembles a large insect on the forest floor. The treehouse terrace is one metre lower and is held in the tree, without damaging it in any way, by means of stainless steel cables and textile straps.

The rounded shape and the reduced range of materials create the interior’s special effect. Untreated oak, wool felt bed and bench coverings, and stainless steel mountings define the surface appearance. Various storage spaces, a small heater and a hi-fi system round out the interior furnishings.
Windows on all sides and the vaulted skylight allow lots of light to enter the room, open up the view of the tree-top and make the treehouse most inviting.

Trees a nutwood
Height terrace:4 m, cabin: 4.5 m
Bearing structure Terrace suspended in the walnut tree by means of steel cables and textile straps;
the weight of the treehouse rests on eight asymmetrically arranged, leaning stainless steel supports
Interior area 8,6 qm
Terrace area 7,4 qm
Façade constructionfrom inside to outside: 20 mm oak boarding, tongue and groove, untreated; round framework of glazed sheet steel; flanking wooden arch of glued wood; 60 mm mineral insulation; 20 mm spruce boarding; rubber sealed; 20 mm air space; glazed, rounded oak battens