Concrete, composed and curved

"When they realized that adding a traditional deck to their home would block their gorgeous sunset views of the Green Mountains, the homeowners sought help from architect Sandy Lawton. His solution was to create a separate observation tower for entertaining and mountain viewing. A longtime advocate and innovator of concrete construction, Lawton thinks it's the perfect material for both design flexibility and durability. The six 29-ft.-high columns were formed with fabric Fast-Tubes™. The structure's graceful curves, lintels, and suspended slabs were also all fashioned with fabric forms. When the cured concrete was exposed, subtle textures from the fabric remained to create a beautiful sculptural finish. Accessible from the main house by a curved 60-ft.-long concrete walkway, the serene and stately modern-day tree house appears to have grown up from the forest floor along with the neighboring trees.

• Architect: Alexander "Sandy" Lawton, ArroDesign, Waitsfield, Vt.

• Design: Sandy Lawton and Ben Allred

• Construction: ArroDesign

To learn more about this tree-house project and fabric formwork, visit Fab-Form Industries Ltd. at: www.fab-form.com/products/fasttube/projects.html

Photo: Andrew Ziegler"

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