FREE SPIRIT PSHERES
| Designer | Tom Chudleigh |
| Dates | 2007 |
Description
Using construction and fixing methods observed in sailboat design, wood strips are formed and fixed in much the same way as a kayak hull to form the main body of the house. An outer skin made from fiberglass offers superior environmental protection making it ideally suited to this dynamic and tasking environment.
The sphere is hung from three top ropes and tied on height with the sphere. A robust and stable suspending web structure is formed, preventing the sphere from becoming unattached in the event of any single point failure, such as a falling tree or faulty tether. This reliance on the surrounding environment to maintain the integrity of the structure also serves to amplify the inhabitants respect and interest in maintaining the health of the living environment.
Access to the sphere is achieved by either suspension bridge (in the event of another sphere being strung near by) or by a spirally strung suspension stairwell, both of these access solutions serve to work with the suspending web, and sphere orientation to maintain there stability whilst retaining there simplicity and elegance.
A Personal View
Primarily Free Spirit Spheres couth my attention with its “organic” aesthetics. The spheres form mimics of organic form and blend in the surrounding environment. It is almost mimicking a giant fruit or nut. Among modern urban architecture this architectural construction stands out by its methods coming from the basics of sailboat and rigging techniques. It is remarkable that this architectural object is based in the air and interprets the relation between the building and gravitation in a different, non-traditional way. The concept of the spheres is both environmentally and human friendly. It looks natural is enhanced by the movement of the surrounding environment being transferred into the living space, making it sway and move in unison with the surrounding trees. It is a great place for relaxation and meditation within the forest and nature. That is how Tom Chudleigh came up with the idea – through meditation.
Future
Tom Chudleigh has future plans to develope Free Spirit Spheres. His dream is to have a colony of at least 20 spheres in the forest where he would generate electricity. The goal is to establish low impact enviromental comunity that could simply experience the beauty of a real tree world - forest.
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More about Free Spirit Spheres
| Author: | Egle Pernaraviciute | Date: | April 2008 |