Forest Observation House

Design: A forest observation house was built on natural elevation along a forest path in the the Celje city forest. Six trees and several pillars bear the load of the platform, made accessible through a spiral staircase. The platform translates the geometry of the surrounding trees architecturally into six “fingers”, whose room volumes are grouped around an interior with natural exposure. Originally designed to serve as a green classroom in order to bring school children closer to the forest ecosystem, the tree house soon also turned into a popular space for exhibitions, workshops, and cultural events as a new landmark for the city.

Wood: Douglas fir timber was used for the tree house, cut in the same forest where the building was later built. The head of the local forestry office accompanied the timber from the logging to the processing and finally to the construction stage. The Celje city forest, honoured as the best-managed forest of 2016 in Slovenia, is subject to legal regulations for close-to-nature forestry which are even stricter than the FSC and PEFC standards.

Energy: Due to its function, the building has no thermal insulation. By using local wood as a carbon sink, it contributes to sustainable development.