Architect branching out with wi-fi tree-house

www.grub4life.com today reports that eco-architect Vic Johnson came up with the perfect idea to help his four children get away from the stresses school and exams can bring upon – a state-of-the-art tree-house complete with wi-fi, solar panels and drinks dispenser.
 09-06-2010

With peace and quiet a premium in their Shropshire home, Vic’s Rietveld-inspired tree-house has become the perfect place for his brood to hit the books.
 
Vic, who has won worldwide recognition for his state-of-the-art designs with landmark buildings in New York, London and the Far East, said it had become the ideal retreat.
 
“With four children under 16 the house is never going to be quiet, so the tree-house gives them an opportunity to have a bit of space at the end of the garden which is solely for them,” he explained.
 
“Of course, given that they seem to be sitting an exam every couple of months, I wanted to make the space as usable as possible – allowing them some peace and quiet but giving them the ability to use the internet and study while breathing in the fresh air.
 
“It’s a fantastic space and the only problem we have now is that they all want to be in it at the same time!”
 
The tree-house, complete with swinging chair underneath, took two months to build, with a turf roof underlining its eco-credentials. Other projects created by his firm include a yellow brick road through the centre of Wolverhampton and an eco-office constructed from a disused railway siding.
 
But Vic revealed that his children were his toughest clients yet.
 
“I’m glad this is a one-off,” he laughed. “They blew the budget in the first five minutes but that didn’t seem to stop them carrying on!”
 
And he has already been asked to replicate the design by two existing clients.
 
“It is a great way of enabling children to make the most of the great outdoors while not neglecting their studies.”