Tree top living – India

Located on the outskirts of Bangalore, India, the House on Pipes sits elevated within coconut the tree tops that occupies the 1.5 acre plot of land. Designed by Parallax the focus was to design a two bedroom weekend getaway space within a modest budget. The initial idea was to build a home with minimal contact to the earth with the landscape serving as a natural pathway.
Sleek supports take their inspiration from the coconut trees allowing both the built and terrain to be celebrated together as a whole. The design brings about a well balanced ratio of voids and solids, the built and the unbuilt. Nature being the main inspiration – A seed that transforms into a seedling, a plant and then into a tree by taking the help of its surrounding elements and growing out into roots and shoots that help support it, stand on the ground and prepare food for its progress and wellbeing. The shoots go up seeking the fresh air and sunlight preparing food while the rest of the plant is tensed as its lower half of the body is stationery and yet the roots burrow deep down into the soil with rigidity. The shoots of a plant branch out and twist and turn into different planes and axises all with one single yet sturdy trunk taking the load.
A similar principle has been applied to ensure the structural stability of the elevated home; using built yet stable space to support the unstable spaces. The aforementioned steel pipes are in a staggered formation on the surface along the periphery so as to provide rigidity stiffness and stability to the above living space.
This living space is covered by three layers of materials, bison board, the middle sandwiched layer, a sheet of glass wool for thermal comfort and protection chosen in accordance with the climatic conditions of the site. The outermost layer is however capped using fly ash blocks to bring the temperature down to a cool and breathable condition.