Dezeen Magazine

Playhouse on stilts by Sharon Davis features a slide, a climbing frame and a lookout point

A stainless-steel slide curls down through the interior of this elevated playhouse, which is topped by a crow's nest offering views over New York's Hudson River Valley (+ slideshow).

Garrison Treehouse by Sharon Davis Design

The Garrison Treehouse was designed by Manhattan studio Sharon Davis Design for the grounds of a farmstead in Garrison, a hamlet on the east bank of the Hudson River in upstate New York.

Garrison Treehouse by Sharon Davis Design

While the "treehouse" is affixed to the ground by four metal poles rather than to a tree, the architects gave it the name for its elevated positioned amongst a thicket of trees.

Garrison Treehouse by Sharon Davis Design

The two levels of the timber-clad playhouse feature a giant hammock as well as a writing desk, and are linked by a curving slide, trapdoors and ladders.

Garrison Treehouse by Sharon Davis Design

"A custom stainless-steel slide arcs between the roof deck and main space, forming an elegant sculptural object beneath which visitors relax in a lounging net," said the architects.

Garrison Treehouse by Sharon Davis Design

The treehouse has a steel structure that was fabricated off-site and lifted into place by a crane.

It is clad in planks of reclaimed white cedar and partially lined in sheets of polycarbonate, but is open to the sky.

Garrison Treehouse by Sharon Davis Design

A climbing web hangs from the underside of the stilted structure, providing a safety net for the trapdoor entrance above.

A second piece of rope netting is strung across a void in the first floor, creating a giant hammock that is positioned to take in views of the Hudson River Valley.

Garrison Treehouse by Sharon Davis Design

A wall-mounted ladder leads up through a second trapdoor to the crow's nest above, which hosts a mahogany writing desk.

Downstairs, a small balcony that juts from one side of the structure is directed towards the family house.

Garrison Treehouse by Sharon Davis Design

Gaps between the supporting struts of a banister that runs around the balcony allow children to exit and descend down to the ground, via a pair of structural columns that function as fireman's poles.

Garrison Treehouse by Sharon Davis Design

Photography is by Elizabeth Felicella.

Garrison Treehouse by Sharon Davis Design
Diagram – click for larger image
Garrison Treehouse by Sharon Davis Design
Floor plan – click for larger image
Garrison Treehouse by Sharon Davis Design
Section – click for larger image