Design Studio Precht has unveiled Bert, a series of truncated timber treehouses for tiny-houses start-up Baumbau.
The concept was created by Chris Precht and his wife Fei Tang Precht as a family of modular houses that are shaped by playfulness. The project invites people to experience architecture and nature through the eyes of children. The large round windows are designed to make it look like the single-eyed character from the film Minions.
Bert is the first collaboration of Precht with Baumbau, a start-up that specialises on eco-building, treehouses and buildings for alternative tourism. As Chris Precht stated, “We took a playful look at this project and wanted to create a rather unique character than a conventional building. A quirky looking character that becomes part of the wildlife of a forest. I think this quirkiness can create feelings and emotions. And maybe these are attributes in architecture that are missing these days.” Bert aims to avoid ubiquitous building types that have become “a copy of a copy of a copy.”
“We know that buildings like Bert are not the path forward on a big scale, but I think as an industry, we need to dare more, try more and experiment more towards a more diverse future of our cities,” says Chris Precht. The modular system of Bert was designed to make it easy to react to a client’s brief in real time.
“We believe that future of tourism is not in large hotels and mass tourism, but rather in special buildings that offer a unique experience. With Bert, we cater to the people who seek adventure, nature and inspiration”, says Rudolf Obauer, CEO of Baumbau. Bert is the first treehouse conceptualized for Baumbau. “During the next months, we will announce further collaboration with architects and designers to create a catalog of unique buildings.”
Interiors are designed to be dark and cozy, with large round windows and balconies like the eyes of a cartoon character to frame views of the landscape. As Precht states, “For regions with little cultivated forestry and wood-craftmenship, the main wood-structure can be replaced by steel. With that concept, Baumbau can work globally on unique structures. Although Bert was designed as a tiny home, it is also possible to arrange the modules in larger configurations. From garden houses to multifamily homes to hotels or developments in the city.”
