Tree House by Mount Fuji Architects

Tree House, Tokyo, Japan

designed by Mount Fuji Architets

The outer appearnace of Mount Fuji's Tree House is very much like that of other houses in the neighbourhood, with the exception of its gently sloping, unshingled roof. ( 2nd photo).

The view from the exterior made me wonder why it is called tree house because, in my opinion, only adequate amount of tree was used in exterior.

But when I saw the photo of inside..

now i know why it is a TREE HOUSE.
The interior is simply....wood!
wooden ribs extend vertically, from a central column, towards the ceiling before radiating out and, finally, descending along the wall to the floor.
everything's wood from floor to ceiling.
I am not a fan of one-material-dwelling from head to toe; howerver, the continous use of wood creates a sense of elegance and calmness.

 This 'tree trunk' is to separate the interior into four distinctive spaces, including two living areas. The rooms are allocated spirally around this column, which reminds me the raumplan of the Rufer House designed by Adolf Loos. :D

The use of space above....

I like the idea using a ladder to reach up the space above.
I am pretty sure there will be another access to the higher level becuase using a ladder is not universal and sometimes is dangerous. However, it is kinds of romantic to have it since it reminds people the tree house of attic which is very cozy and private as well as full of secrets.