BIG’s Attempt to Invite Humans and Birds to Coexist in “Biosphere” at the Treehotel

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) had once again realized its experimental design, this time was the collaboration with Treehotel in Harads, Sweden. The design is located in the middle of nature in Northern Sweden which is famous for its natural beauty and biosphere diversity. This prompted BIG to collaborate with Ulf Öhman, chairman of the Norrbotten Ornithological Association.

Experimental design by BIG (cr: BIG)

A cabin in the middle of nature (cr: BIG)

The discussion of the two parties then focused on the need for birdhouses to suppress the decline in bird populations in Swedish forests while strengthening the biosphere and natural habitats. With the decreasing number of natural holes for birds in trees due to forestry, BIG responded by designing a floating cube covered with 350 bird nests evenly distributed on each side in a spherical shape. “Demonstrating the use of bird nests and feeding, not just at the Treehotel but for people to install near their homes, is valuable,” said Ulf Öhman.

A floating structure covered with 350 birdhouses (cr: BIG)

A spherical cabin (cr: BIG)

Bird-watching activity (cr: BIG)

This 34-square-meter cabin is the eighth unit at Treehotel, added in 2022. Its interior was designed with a double-height living room, bathroom, and bed. The cabin is dominated by a pitch-dark interior, meaning visitors are forced to look out through wide glass openings to the surrounding nature. The cabin can be accessed via a sloped metal bridge that extends from the bottom to the top of the tree.

The dark interior (cr: BIG)

Wide glass openings (cr: BIG)

Building layers diagram (cr: BIG)

The steel slats for the birdhouse holder stick out from the cubical volume. These tiny wooden structures are designed in various dimensions to suit the individual sizes of a wide range of bird types.

The birdhouse supporting structure (cr: BIG)

The sloping metal bridge (cr: BIG)

The floating sphere in the middle of the Harads pines offers visitors the experience of observing bird life from a close distance as if they were in the midst of the birds’ life. Through this cabin, BIG tries to invite humans and birds to coexist in its designs.