Nestled in the Garvan Woodland Gardens, Modus Studio created the Evans tree house for the university of Arkansas. The site is a 210-acre botanical garden near the town of hot springs in Central Arkansas, with the treehouse situated in a peninsula surrounded by the Quachita river. The area, a children’s adventure garden, is surrounded by native trees such as pines and oaks, which match the building’s aesthetic.

The designers were inspired by dendrology, the scientific study of trees, for the building’s organic form and educational program. They wanted the elevated treehouse to camouflage itself into the landscape and appear to seamlessly blend with its surroundings. The multistory treehouse is boomerang-shaped in plan, elevated four to 7.6 meters off the ground by steel columns to preserve the natural world underneath. The treehouse’s elevation brings visitors closer to the tree canopies, recreating the magical feeling of being high up in the trees.
The treehouse aims to provide an interactive educational experience where children can explore nature closely. It is meant to present a rich visual and tactile environment for visitors to find a deeper connection to the surrounding nature, while accommodating the needs of the users. The treehouse’s sheer wooden skin creates a play on light and shadows, reflected in the interior of the space. This simulates the sunlight’s effect through a tree canopy, plac...