Located on the edge of a redwood forest with views over open meadows and streams, the treehouse restaurant is a magical integration of nature and function. Access to the pod is gained via a long low angle planked walkway, which also makes it wheel chair accessible. Since the project’s completion it has earned a number of awards, including the New Zealand Institute of Architects Branch Award, Gold Award at the New Zealand Institute of Design – BEST Awards, the Excellence Award from the New Zealand Institute of Building, and it was a finalist in the World Architecture Awards 2009.
Oddly enough though, the restaurant, which was designed by New Zealand-based Pacific Environment Architects, Ltd, is part of a large marketing campaign for the Yellow Pages, a major printer of US phone directories. Seems like an odd pairing, but Yellow Pages thought it would be pretty cool to have a restaurant built in a tree. Now that the marketing campaign is over, the restaurant has passed into possession of the land owner, who hopes to use the amazing structure for events, like weddings and parties. What a lovely site for dinner in the woods.
