Secret Camp: Sustainable Treehouses in the Forest

Exploring the Metasequoia Forest in Wuhan

Deep within the Dongxihu District of Wuhan, a dense forest of Metasequoia trees stretches across the landscape, serving as a habitat for numerous migratory birds and a naturally rich and diverse ecosystem. Within this setting, a unique architectural project has emerged that blends nature with modern designs, featuring over a dozen treehouses carefully distributed among the trees without causing harm, reflecting a commitment to sustainability and environmental protection.

Creative Principles of the Project

The project originated from an initiative by the Wiki Building School under the Wiki World Group, which seeks to explore new ways of coexisting with nature. Each treehouse is designed to tell a unique story and provide a distinctive experience for visitors. Here, one can observe the balance between creativity and respect for the surrounding environment, as each design thoughtfully integrates functionality with aesthetics.

Diverse Experiences Among the Treehouses

The treehouses vary in form and function:

Time Machine: A futuristic silver house that captures sunlight filtering through the tree leaves, highlighting the interaction between light and design.
Nomadic Land: A cozy capsule for temporary travelers, reflecting the concept of flexible accommodation.
Playground: A playful design that evokes childhood spirit, with winding pathways that harmonize with the branches.
Daydream: A house using reflective panels to nearly blend with the surrounding forest, minimizing visual impact on the environment.
Red Windmill: A structure that boldly stands out amidst the green shadows, serving as a clear visual landmark within the forest.
Unicorn: A vertical design with silver accents reflecting mythical elements, suggesting imagination and creativity.

Integrating Nature with Architectural Design

This project serves as a practical example of how modern architecture can merge with the natural environment while prioritizing sustainability and preserving existing trees. It also illustrates the importance of creative thinking in utilizing natural spaces without causing harm, offering a model for eco-friendly and alternative housing design.

The Natural Inspiration Behind the Design

What makes this project truly unique is not just the innovative names or striking designs, but the direct inspiration drawn from the forest itself. The creators took cues from local birds, scattered seeds, and the organic patterns naturally formed without human intervention. Each structure is built on elevated wooden platforms, preserving the forest floor completely intact. There are no paved paths or manicured garden layouts; instead, the design allows the forest ecosystem to reveal its beauty in its purest form. This approach reflects the Wiki World philosophy of “Build small, dream big,” emphasizing that comfort in living does not require dominating the surrounding environment.

The Forest as an Open-Air Art Museum

The project goes beyond the concept of living among the trees to transform the forest into a natural art gallery. Temporary installations appear throughout the year, workshops gather creative minds, and exhibitions celebrate the relationship between humans and wildlife.

Learning and Participation at the Heart of Nature

The Forest Reception serves as an active hub where visitors can engage in educational and hands-on activities, such as:

Building birdhouses
Studying natural materials
Participating in projects that integrate lodging with education

Additionally, the Sino-French Building Festival brings together enthusiasts of sustainable construction and simple living, promoting the concept of living in harmony with nature.

Sustainable Engineering in the Treehouse Design

The technical aspect of the project reveals a serious commitment to environmental responsibility. All structures are built using glued laminated timber digitally modeled for precision, then prefabricated off-site to minimize any impact on the forest during construction.

Modular Design and Efficiency

The project employs a modular design with a 2-meter width, allowing for varied forms while maintaining high efficiency in space and functionality. Hand-fired carbonized wood panels give each treehouse a natural finish and weather resistance, while small metal joints make it possible to completely disassemble and reassemble the houses without leaving any trace on the environment.

Elevated Living Experience Without Harming Nature

This elevated approach ensures that the treehouses do not touch the forest floor, eliminating the need for artificial landscaping and preserving the natural rhythm of the ecosystem. Visitors can live among the upper canopy, enjoying nature without any interventions that alter the forest’s appearance.

Sustainable Tourism and Creativity

The project demonstrates that sustainable tourism does not require sacrificing creativity or comfort. On the contrary, it shows how thoughtful design can enhance the natural environment, creating spaces that engage all the senses while leaving a minimal ecological footprint. Staying in these treehouses makes visitors more environmentally aware and allows them to appreciate the beauty of nature on a deeper level.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

The Secret Camp project can be seen as a practical model demonstrating how architectural design can be integrated with the natural environment without harming the ecosystem. It showcases the potential for innovation in utilizing upper canopy spaces, serving as an inspiration for small-scale projects and educational initiatives focused on sustainable construction.

However, several points deserve consideration before generalizing or applying this model on a wider scale. First, the elevated nature of the treehouses and the modular design may limit the ability to expand or adapt to other types of natural environments. Second, the focus on individual experiences and temporary visitors makes the project less capable of supporting long-term community sustainability compared to traditional buildings or projects with permanent residences. Third, the high cost of prefabricated design and hand-fired carbonized plywood may make replicating this approach challenging in economically constrained contexts, raising questions about the practical integration of these principles in public housing or broader urban planning.

Overall, the project offers an opportunity to explore sustainable design methods and innovative practices. Its elements can serve as references for educational experiments or for developing environmentally conscious architectural solutions, while recognizing that practical implementation requires adaptation to the economic, social, and environmental context of each project.