Tree Snake Houses Stand on Stilts at Portugal's Pedras Salgadas Eco Resort

The Pedras Salgadas Eco Resort in Portugal just celebrated the completion of two new accommodations - the Tree Snake Houses. Stilted high into the trees and accessed via a long ramp, the single room cabins are a charming addition to the lodgings at the spa and nature park. Luís Rebelo de Andrade and Tiago Rebelo de Andrade designed the two treehouses, which were prefabricated by Modular System and assembled on site to help reduce the project's impact.

Pedras Salgadas Eco Resort is a quiet retreat in the Parque de Pedras Salgadas, a pristine national park in northern Portugal. The popular spa & nature park started with seven little cabins perched on short stilts amidst the trees. Now they have added two more exclusive cabins lofted higher in the trees and accessed via a long ramp. The Tree Snake Houses are long and slender and more charming than dangerous.

The treehouses were designed by Luís Rebelo de Andrade and Tiago Rebelo de Andrade, who also helped design the original cabins and the overall plan for the resort. To minimize impact, the modular treehouses were prefabricated and then assembled on site. In accordance with the overall sustainability plan, the accommodations have minimal impact on the surrounding eco system. Natural materials and lots of daylight further the experience and help immerse the guests in the forest. Each treehouse has a bedroom with a writing desk, a bathroom, and a kitchenette.

Teton County Children's Learning Center Brings Sustainable Design to Jackson, Wyoming

Many children's make believe adventures revolve around wooden forts in the mountains; the new Teton County Children's Learning Center by Ward+Blake Architects and D.W. Arthur Associates Architecture has captured this dream in the wilds of Jackson, Wyoming. This children’s daycare facility reflects the rustic decor of the Teton region, while achieving LEED Gold certification with an energy-efficient, low-impact design.

Creatively named “The Ranch,” the Rafter J Childcare facility was designed by the team of architects to achieve three objectives: to fit into the ranch-like neighborhood, experientially stimulate the children, and to achieve LEED Silver certification. Boston-based D.W. Arthur Associates Architecture was brought into the project by local firm Ward+Blake Architects to bring some expertise in childcare design to the table. It’s fitting that D.W. Arthur’s mission is to educate children through experiencing their spatial environment.
The exterior of the building celebrates the regional vernacular ranch style of the local neighborhood, and it incorporates many natural materials in its skin. Made from rammed earth, cedar wood, weathered wood, glass and steel, this 12,000-square-foot facility rises and falls almost as if mimicking the surrounding mountains. Beaver slide-like enclosures and other slatted fences help to break up the exterior of the building, while creating shading devices for the building. Various shed roofs allow for natural light to penetrate deep into the building through angled clerestory windows. Also, many of these shed roofs are covered with sod in order to control storm water runoff.