The Elevated Safari Suite

The Elevated Safari Suite explores the relationship between luxury interior design, architecture, nature and human experience. Blending contemporary luxury interiors with the architectural language of traditional African safari lodges, the retreat is organised as a vertical journey through a series of interconnected pavilions. The experience unfolds from social gathering spaces and a wellness terrace to private sleeping suites immersed within the canopy.

Carefully framed views, interior-led planning and a seamless connection to the surrounding landscape shape each moment of the experience. Through craftsmanship, materiality and a strong sense of place, the project reflects Archimode’s approach to creating immersive environments defined by craftsmanship, luxury, discovery, connection and a deeper engagement with nature.

The Hug / Hōyō

The hug gently wraps around the bonsai, like a quiet embrace. Its ring shape allows visitors to gather together around the canopy of the tree, experiencing it as the living heart of the space. Inspired by Japanese references such as origami and shoji paper, the folded envelope brings lightness, translucency and warmth. Helicoidal ramps spiral gently around the trunk, forming both access and structure. At the centre, the bonsai is left undisturbed, given space for growth. In this way, the tree house is shaped by care: for stillness, for accessibility, and for the life of the tree itself.

Bilanx

(bɪ.ɫaŋks from latin ‘Balance’)

The idea of balance persisted at the heart of this project throughout various design iterations. The balance of nature and human, the delicate dance throughout millennia. In our work we have embraced the tree by enveloping it in a shelter-like stair, allowing visitors to ascend into the canopy. The canopy itself became shelter for the house, a space for learning and mindfulness. Shaped by some of our previous projects, the design philosophy of Bilanx is fluidity and motion, and inspired by natural patterns - in this case, the Fibonacci sequence lent its silhouette to our spiral stair. Our studio specialises in educational spaces, therefore Bilanx invites its guests to make discoveries about the world while finding a harmonious sanctuary within its most ancient symbol: a tree.

Opposites Attract

The theme 'Together' is explored through the concept of yin and yang. These two contrasting sides represent opposites such as good and bad, and heaven and hell, showing that although they are separate, they are interconnected and depend on one another to achieve unity. This design demonstrates how togetherness cannot be achieved without bringing separate entities together to create a balanced whole

The Original Architect

Inspired by the trunk of a 40-year-old Hawthorn bonsai, we began by capturing its surface through photogrammetry. From that scan, five miniature tree house shapes were developed and 3D printed in wood-filled PLA, each fitting precisely to a section of the bark. The back of every dwelling carries the texture of the trunk itself, a reminder of where it came from. The result is a growing connected community that could only ever belong to this single tree, contoured by decades of growth, grain, and time. Architecture inspired by, and inseparable from, the living form that made it.

Rooted House

Algae PLA, living plant. A miniature model of a post-anthropocentric dwelling where tree and shelter are no longer distinct entities but a single, coevolved organism. The ribbed, dark architecture, 3D printed in algae-based biopolymer, rises from the ground like roots and walls simultaneously. Its vertical striations suggest both structural load-bearing and living tissue. Above, a living tree erupts, where a roofline might be expected, becoming the ceiling of an intricate interior below. Neither tree-ness nor domesticity dominates. Each is the other's condition of existence. A bio-digital mutualism proposing architecture as interspecies negotiation rather than human imposition.

Yukitsuri Treehouse

The strong symbiosis between nature and people (kyosei) is deeply-rooted in Japanese culture, practiced through the action of nurturing and cultivating bonsai trees. It is also seen in the construction of Yukitsuri, conical rope structures erected during winter months as an act of care to support tree branches from the weight of snow. It is in these structures that I have found inspiration for my treehouse design. Coned structures constructed from a filigree of timber components in distinctive yellow colour wrap themselves through and around the trunk of this bonsai tree. Echoing the yukitsuri, they are a vivid manifestation of kyosei; the coming together of the manmade and the natural.

The Forest Unseen

Inspired by the hidden life of beech forests, this installation reveals the invisible networks that sustain a woodland community. These buried life forms of mycorrhizal fungi that thrive beneath the soil, create a lively support system that upholds the entire forest ecosystem. The woven structures above ground transform this unseen ecology into a visible spatial experience. By unveiling the unseen networks, the project celebrates coexistence, interdependence and the hidden networks that sustain woodland ecosystems. A forest is built not only by trees, but by relationships.

Treasures of the tide

(sponsored by Michael Swords Architects)

Our treehouse is inspired by the enchanting world of hobbit homes and the natural beauty of Brighton and Hove’s south coast. Created using recycled treasures discovered along the beach, including sea glass, pebbles, and reclaimed rubbish, this miniature landscape celebrates creativity, sustainability, and imagination. Each carefully chosen piece has been given a new purpose, transforming discarded materials into something magical and meaningful. The project reflects our belief that beauty can be found in unexpected places and that small actions can make a positive difference. It invites viewers to see potential, wonder, and inspiration in the world around them.

Forger's house

Designed around the theme of symbiotic "togetherness," Forager’s House scales down our studio’s biodiversity-boosting research into a living micro-infrastructure. Crafted from salvaged FSC timber offcuts (from our built projects), the organic-shaped structure mimics epiphytic fungi. Externally, the timber ribs harvest wild epiphytic plants. Internally laser-etched "spore-slots" support a network of living mycelium. That weaves through a tightly packed moss and rope substrate, creating a protected fungal farm accessible via the forager’s portal. The structure relies on the bonsai for shade, while the architecture retains moisture and cycles nutrients back to the roots. It proves architecture can transcend shelter, actively generating life for the common good of all species.

The Second Pine

Our treehouse considers the state of forestry in the UK and the radical change in the British landscape resulting from 17th- and 18th-century shipbuilding. Scots pine was heavily felled so that Britannia could rule the waves. The Caledonian landscape changed in favour of grouse shooting, with sapling growth suppressed by deer and other herbivores. It asks how our perception of the natural landscape has changed over time, and whether we should consciously adapt our landscapes and industry toward timber as a more sustainable construction method.

Together

Our proposal reimagines the treehouse as a small habitat shaped by the bonsai tree itself. Through 3D scanning, the tree’s branches, forks and voids are mapped to find natural points of support. Each pod is designed as a modular geometric form, made from panels that can be opened, adjusted or notched so the branches pass through and hold it in place. The relationship follows a yin-yang principle: tree and pod are separate elements, yet they fit together to create one balanced whole. The pods rotate in different directions, forming a connected miniature village where modular design, structural logic and the living form of the bonsai come together.

Wabi-Sabi: Together in Growth

Growth as a shared journey. Responding to the theme together, the design interweaves cocoon-like pods with rigid platforms and bridges establishing a relationship between natural and constructed habitats. Guided by the spirit of wabi-sabi, it values imperfection while the use of reused materials such as food packaging evokes a sense of change and progression. Sitting lightly around the bonsai, the proposal becomes a quiet reminder that growth is shaped through balance, adaptation and living gently with the natural world.

Unpicked Treehouse

The design of this treehouse celebrates the ascent from roots to canopy, a journey through the living architecture of the Chinese Elm Bonsai. Rather than building a single object-like house, here the rooms and roof have been intentionally 'unpicked' and dispersed between the host tree's twisting branches. The design recalls every architect's favourite drawing type, the Exploded Isometric, but realised in 3D wooden form - what results is a beautiful treehouse with a variety of interconnected spaces in which each function is complemented by its relationship to the tree.

'Pining for Togetherness'

Michaelis Boyd approach the pine tree at three scales- the bonsai, the cone, and the needle. The pine cone’s signature structure becomes the skeleton for the treehouse, which envelops its host pine, forming a connection ‘together’ between the natural and the man-made. The selected bonsai leans and yearns into the treehouse, providing a close experience for its inhabitants.

Unruffled.

This theme, Together, immediately recalled a moment at the Design Museum’s, Home Futures exhibition (2019) where my friends shared an interactive exhibit, a felt nest.

Building on this moment, we propose a light-touch intervention. Concept; suspended orb structure, supported by post and guy lines, ensuring minimal impact on the tree.

Inspired by the protective quality of a nest, the structure would open to become a communal space while offering enclosure and security when closed. Access would be deliberately playful: a rope ladder to climb, a pole to descend.

Aesthetically it references, jewel-like forms contrasted with a soft, enveloping interior.

The Design Museum’s, Home Futures exhibition (2019) La Cova by Gianni Ruffi.

The Gathering Grove: Togetherness in Miniature

This miniature arboreal village reimagines community through architecture. Dozens of intimate treehouses encircle a central ‘Town Hall’ treehouse, all ascending upon tiered platforms. Each small abode represents an individual, yet their clustered arrangement signifies our inherent interconnectedness. This design celebrates the beauty of collective presence, where individual spaces coalesce to form a harmonious whole, much like a thriving forest ecosystem. It's a testament to how unity can foster growth and resilience, proving that we are stronger, and indeed more beautiful, when we are together.

Kizuna

In Japanese, Kizuna means an enduring bond between people. As a Banyan tree does in India, or a community centre at the heart of a residential area, our tree offers a central social meeting point that encourages relaxation, social engagement and sense of togetherness. The zen garden and water feature at the base offer inclusive contemplative space, whilst the community buildings offer an accessible retreat to host a range of activities. Linked by ladders and walkways, the community perch is reserved for the top spot

Moongazer

Where architecture typically builds barriers between human and nature, Moongazer serves as a medium for connection. It establishes a physical platform to communicate directly with both the living tree and the shifting skies.

The prominent circular forms honor the timeless, cyclical rhythms deeply rooted in Japanese culture. Moongazer utilizes the interplay of light and shadow to transmit the live interaction of man and nature through projection.

The result is an ongoing storytelling device, the architecture shifts our relationship with nature from one of separation to one of intimate, unfolding dialogue.