Tropicana Magazine Mar-Apr 2017 #112: Riding on a Life Line

THE VACATION
| LIFE IS SWEDE
INTO THE WOODS
Inspired by Jonas Selberg Augustsen’s film
‘The Tree Lover’, a tale of three urbanites
that build a treehouse together in the forest,
Treehotel (www.treehotel.se) is located in
Harads, near the town of Luleå in northeast
Sweden. This eco-friendly hotel was set
up by Kent Lindvall and his wife Britta to
offer themed lodgings for tourists venturing
north of the Arctic Circle in search of the
Northern Lights. Designed by leading
Swedish architects, the seven ‘houses’
built on trees is where the resemblance to
any childhood treehouse ends, designed
by leading Swedish architects. The
Mirrorcube by Tham + Videgård Arkitekter
has reflective glass walls, so it appears
camouflaged in the forest and features a tree
growing through the centre of the room.
The Snøhetta’s The 7th Room is a charred
timber treehouse and the latest addition
to the Treehotel, featuring a net terrace
that allows guests to sleep under the stars.
Inrednin Gsgruppen designed two of the
more surreal treerooms — The UFO, which
looks as if a flying saucer has wedged itself
among the trees, and Bird’s Nest, featuring
haphazardly arranged twigs to give this suite
the appearance of a huge bird’s nest. Being
suspended at least five metres above ground
also affords guests stunning bird’s eye views
of the forest valley and nearby Lule River.
Built on the genuine experience of
nature, it follows that sustainability and
ecological values are two fundamental pillars
of Treehotel’s philosophy. The Treerooms
were constructed in the natural forest
with as light a footprint as possible, and
chemical-free materials and non-intrusive
construction techniques were employed.
Amenities within the tree suites are lo-fi to
keep things green, so showers are located in
a separate building while bathrooms have
combustion toilets (or freezing toilets) and
water-efficient sinks. Small inconveniences
for a back-to-nature experience that is
nothing short of magical.
TM | MARCH/APRIL <strong>2017</strong>
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