this transparent glass treehouse in mexico city sits above its own micro forest

in mexico city, architect gerardo broissin has built a transparent treehouse using glass rather than wood. the structure is titled ‘chantli kuaulakoyokan’, which means ‘house in the tree top’ in nahuatl — mexico’s most spoken indigenous language. the scheme is located at the foothills of the sierra de las cruces, a long mountain range situated to the west of the city center.

all images by alexander d’la roche

the design evokes feelings of childhood and of the desire for an independent place of refuge. however, rather than using conventional timber for the treehouse’s construction, broissin reinterpreted the typology using glass. this gesture intends to highlight the loss of a child’s innocence over time, with warm wood being replaced by cold glazing.

the structure features a transparent floor, walls, and ceiling

the treehouse also makes reference to ‘privacidad’, a play by mexican actor diego luna, where the supposed privacy promised by social media is questioned. in this way, the project asks visitors to reflect on the themes of security and privacy — in both physical and virtual forms. in addition to the glass structure, broissin has created a lushly planted ‘micro forest’. ‘chantli kuaulakoyokan’ forms part of design house, an event that takes place each year as part of design week mexico.

the design evokes feelings of childhood, and of the desire for an independent place of refuge

the project is titled ‘chantli kuaulakoyokan’, which means ‘house in the tree top’ in nahuatl 

visitors access the treehouse via a glass staircase

the architect has also created a lushly planted ‘micro forest’

the treehouse measures just 7 square meters

the treehouse was on display as part of design week mexico

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project info:

location: mexico city
area: treehouse: 7 sqm (75 sqf); yard: 70 sqm (753 sqf)
architect: broissin
partner in charge: m.arch. gerardo broissin
project leaders: arq. loredana croci, arq. pablo morales
sponsor: saint gobain glass
photography: alexander d’ la roche, BA