Treehouse

Treehouse in Bainbridge Island, Washington by Mithun

IslandWood (formerly the Puget Sound Environmental Learning Center) is a 70,000 sf (6,500 sm) environmental education center located on 255 acres (84.3 hectares) on the south end of Bainbridge Island, Washington, USA. This complex undertaking has preserved a variety of wetlands, streams and ponds, while restoring an earthen dam and salmon habitat. The school provides young people with a deeper understanding of the natural environment through hands-on project and outdoor field experience. Fourth and fifth grade students spend four days at the center exploring the natural features of the site through a curriculum combining science, technology, and the arts.

Inspired by the shapes of tree burls, beehives and tent caterpillars, the treehouse is intended to provide an evocative, non-traditional learning environment for study groups of eight children with naturalist guides and chaperones. The high pitched roof and walls give the interior a soaring ceiling that provides a strong tactile connection to the verticality and mass of the tree.

Located directly adjacent to a natural bog, the treehouse provides escape from the rains and views of the peat mat and stunted-growth hemlocks within this acidic wetland. The treehouse is attached to a second growth Douglas fir tree with steel collars and stainless steel bolts designed to allow for fifty subsequent years of tree growth without adjustment. The treehouse is constructed of salvaged Douglas fir, cedar shakes, and operable portholes salvaged from an old ship. Copper vents provide natural ventilation as well as points of light within the dramatic interior volume.

Mithun was the architectural design lead for the project with Treehouse Workshop serving as collaborative designer and General Contractor.