Brazil makes one think of samba, and the tropical rainforest with mighty, towering trees. Everybody is inspired by this idea, particularly the treehouse builder. Curitiba, the clients' home is located in a temperate zone in the south of the country. The four-member family had recently had a modern house built by a well known Brazilian architect and had only just moved in. The lady of the house has long been fascinated by treehouses and, by chance, had come across a baumraum project in a German interiors magazine. Once the initial contact had been made, it wasn't long before planning could start on an extravagant addition to their new residence.

On the south-facing part of the property, there is a large terrace, with a pool and a couple of palms. On the northern side, on a green area enclosed by a high hedge, there are two sturdy North American maple trees. The maple standing in the centre of the lawn was to be the basis for the treehouse. After various model sketches were made, a concept was developed for a terrace suspended in the tree and a freestanding treehouse cabin. The load of the treehouse is transferred to a concrete foundation by nine slender, asymmetrically arranged stainless steel pillars which put one in mind of a long-legged animal, such as a giraffe.