Design Philosophy
The Red Hill Tree House has a heavy ground floor that sits snugly into the landscape, with a lightweight first floor that rises into the surrounding messmate trees to take in views of the distant ocean. Ground floor walls made of local rammed earth provide thermal mass but are low in embodied energy. The slim wave-like roof, reaching high to the northern sun, emphasises shelter, solar gain and water collection.Between the two pavilion living areas, a conservatory forms the engine room for concentrated solar gain. In winter, the sun heats the conservatory and the warm air disperses into the surrounding rooms. In summer the central stair core connected to the conservatory draws warm air up and out of the building while doors and louvre windows cut into the rammed earth walls catch cool southerly breezes.
