ISLAND TREEHOUSES

Island Treehouses is the culmination of a semester’s work in my Architecture Design in the Landscape course. The goal of this project was to design a visiting artist’s retreat village for Allerton Park in Monticello, Illinois. The village is located on an island south of the main mansion, the focal point of the park, in close proximity to the features and sites that Allerton Park has to offer.

The design of the structures endorses Allerton Park’s diverse seasonality through the elevation of the paths and buildings off the ground level, accounting for the seasonal flooding that encompasses the entire island. Private spaces are arranged in a branching-out scheme from the public spaces, corresponding to the treehouse concept.

The village is centered about two primary axes, a north-south axis pointing towards the main mansion, and a north-west to south-east diagonal axis. Both axes and their respective bridges over the river serve to create a more effective route for artists and visitors to the park to access the entirety of the park, connecting the north and south sectors of Allerton Park, that were previously disconnected.

When visitors first approach the site from the main bridge to the north, they walk through a tunnel-like structure housing the village’s primary gathering spaces. The village’s studio space is located on the intersection of the two main axes, and allocates space for a path through the center of the structure, bringing artists and visitors closer to the work done there.

The structures themselves embody a treehouse aesthetic by furnishing two different tones of wood. The interiors of the buildings are furnished in a lighter wood, while the exteriors sport a dark wood facade. All the structures within the village follow a uniform design, in accordance with the a-frame form of the private residences. The eight private artist residences face a different directions outwards from the island, providing isolated and unique views over the river.