curved larch-clad tree house hovers above steep hillside in the scottish highlands

Echo builds Tree Hoose wooden hut standing on stilts

Echo’s self-contained Tree Hoose was engineered to be airlifted onto the steep, woodland site in the Scottish Highlands. The wooden hut is one of a collection of bespoke, site-specific, small buildings designed and built in-house by Echo at its workshops in southwest Scotland. Built off-site, each one of the five prefabricated sections was engineered to weigh less than 1 tonne, the maximum payload for the airlift onto the steep site. A galvanized steel platform, designed for minimal site disturbance, is anchored to the bedrock. Lowered between the trees onto the platform, the cabin sections were assembled in a single day to create the open-plan, self-contained accommodation. The Tree Hoose’s cruciform plan is a perfect diagram for a small living space with four activity spaces for sleeping, washing, eating, and relaxing. A king-size bed, fully fitted kitchen, shower room, and sitting room are arranged elegantly around the wood burner at the heart of the space. At 18.5 sqm, the building epitomizes Echo’s motto: ‘build small, build smart, build beautiful’.

the wooden hut consists of five prefabricated sections efficiently airlifted onto the rugged terrain | all images by Echo

the cabin’s Interior showcases Sustainable Features

Roof lights and floor-to-ceiling glazing frame views of the tree canopy, loch, and mountains beyond, and create a light-filled interior. The view from the bed straight onto the moss-covered woodland floor makes for restorative sleeping amongst the flora and fauna. On the opposite side, the cabin’s height offers an elevated retreat on the balcony for woodland bathing. Echo opts for spruce paneled walls to provide a warm backdrop for a classical monochrome interior, with bespoke fixtures and classic fittings creating a beautifully practical small space. Sheep’s wool insulation retains the warmth from the underfloor heating and the stove, keeping the cabin cozy in the often harsh winter conditions on its Highland hillside site. Despite the Tree Hoose’s assertive form, its curved black, corrugated tin, and random width, larch cladding allow the cabin to recede into the woodland, its picture windows mirroring the woodland as it quietly goes.

the galvanized steel platform, anchored to the bedrock, provides a stable foundation amidst the trees

Tree Hoose arranges distinct areas for sleeping, washing, eating, and relaxing around a central wood burner

floor-to-ceiling glazing frames views of the tree canopy, and mountains, filling the interior with natural light

Spruce-paneled walls create a warm backdrop for the monochrome interior, along with bespoke fittings

a discreet door in the storage wall opens to reveal the shower room and its floor-to-ceiling window

each detail is arranged with elegance and practicality to make the most of the compact living space

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Tree Hoose elevations

Tree Hoose plan

Tree Hoose sketch

project info:

name: Tree Hoose
architect: Sam Booth – Echo | @echo.living_

client: Studiohoose

location: Taigh a Chnuic, Garve, Ullapool, Scotland, UK

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edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom