Tree House, Kew

Our competition entry for a tree house at Kew Gardens was based on the mysterious and magical workings of trees, and how they communicate with one another via their roots and fungal highways.

Embodying the idea that reality exceeds our powers of perception, the simple exterior of our treehouse belies an unexpected cavernous world of vast root structures and sprawling fungi. Inside, we proposed to mimic the form of the root ball with interlocking CLT panels, sculpted into organic shapes using CNC cutting. Our competition team included the artist Rana Begum and landscape gardener Todd Longstaffe-Gowan, together creating fungal assemblages that would interlock with the CLT root structures and highlight their interdependence. Our proposal sought to experiment with materials underfoot and overhead, creating a soundscape of bustling communication: the wood-wide web made manifest.