Chris Precht and his wife Fei are the founders of the architecture firm Precht, which follows a countercurrent philosophy, trying to propose alternative projects to modern architecture that has made the world’s cities all the same and that aims to amaze with huge skyscrapers of glass, concrete, and steel. The project that best represents their thinking is that of Bert, a modular house that more than being a treehouse is a tree-shaped house. 

Yes, thanks to the collaboration with Baumbam, a start-up specialized in the construction of small houses and tree houses, it has been possible to create a wooden structure with a circular plan covered with light brown leaf tiles that resemble a tree trunk. 

Being composed of different modules built individually and assembled only on-site, Bert, in addition to being built anywhere in the world and in any condition, can become from a single-family home to a condominium, to become real residential complexes. 

At the base of this type of house, there is a playful aspect that is often missing in many projects and instead of being inspired by the forms of classical art, Chris and Fei have taken as a point of reference cartoons like Sesame Open. 

“We know that buildings like Bert are not the path forward on a big scale, but I think as an industry, we need to dare more, try more and experiment more towards a more diverse future of our cities.”