Bringing the Outside In: 7 Radiant Projects That Usher Trees Indoors

Sometimes architecture involves secluded and disengaged spaces — rooms are burrowed within one another and doors, hallways and other pathways lure us away from the outdoor environment and deep into a building’s core. This can result in recursive structures where at the innermost level, the resident, visitor or office worker is completely disconnected from the outside world. Particularly in spaces like the home and office, where individuals may spend endless hours of their day, such processes can be isolating and even jarring. For example, hark back to the feeling of exiting a building after a long period of time, and envision the sensory overload that ensues upon first connecting with the outdoors.

By forging connections with the outside world and blurring the division between the interior and exterior, the following spaces challenge such reclusion, creating atmospheres that instead inspire and breathe life. Bringing trees and other elements of nature inside, these projects question what is possible within the confines of erected walls. Additionally, they toy with artificiality as in some instances, the visitor is unsure whether they are witnessing real or fabricated nature. Through the incorporation of indoor trees, this collection of seven different projects offers an enticing glimpse into what occurs when the divisions between the home, office, landscape and environment are blurred.

Qb Studios | Addington by Qb Modular, Christchurch, New Zealand

In the business district of Christchurch, Qb Modular created an interactive office hub, event space and art gallery. Bringing together previously dislocated businesses, the architects sought to create a space that resembled a village rather than an office. The result is an atmosphere designed to promote interaction and collaboration, with tree-filled laneways for both planned and spontaneous meetings.

The Courtyard House by The Purple Ink Studio, Bengaluru, India

The Courtyard House was designed with the intention of making the inside and outside seem and feel as one. As a result, green space is not limited to the exterior, but also dominates the interior layout. A single sculptural tree is the focal point of the living room, dining room and staircase.

Vertical Courtby HYLA Architects, Singapore

At Vertical Court, a two-level courtyard sits in the center of the semi-detached home. On the first level, a frangipani tree is housed within a timber-clad box, which has sliding glass doors that open and close. The courtyard allows light to stream into the house and residents to interact with nature in the comfort of their own home.

LENNE Office by Kamp Arhitektid, Tallinn, Estonia

Situated in a former Soviet-era factory building, a large single room was uniquely divided into cozy office zones that could inspire both employees and visitors. Spread throughout the space are 16-foot fabricated trees with an astonishingly realistic effect. The trees are crafted from real tree trunks with artificial branches and leaves. To add to the confusion, a week after the trees were created, a small, real branch emerged from one of the trunks and began sprouting fresh leaves.

Former Town Mill by Gangoly & Kristiner Architects, Graz, Austria

In this old mill, which dates back to 1880, loft-like flats were created for a young and urban clientele. The flats are grouped around a larger inner courtyard that receives light through a roof of glazed gables and a large, open wall on the north side.

N House by Sou Fujimoto Architects, Oita, Japan

N House comprises three shells in progressively smaller sizes that are each nested within one another. The outermost shell covers the entire premise and creates a covered domain for semi-indoor trees and garden space. Based on these gradient domains, residents build their lives with varying levels of privacy, while simultaneously blurring the division between interior and exterior.

Pit House by UID architects, Okayama, Japan

With this project, UID architects sought to render a sense of natural coexistence between the environment, landscape and building. Instead of division from the environment, the interior is meant to be an extension of the outside and a connection to the land’s surface. The living room in particular, accepts the natural environment by integrating trees along a built in curvature that mimics the exterior terrain.