Come with us on a tour of Forest Pond House, built by firm TDO Architecture as a dual meditation-space/kid's playroom next to a forested pond in Hampshire, England.
The meditation room and play space has a curved timber frame clad in plywood, glass, and copper.
TDO Architecture principal Tom Lewith told online magazine Dezeen, “Cantilevering over the pond was important to us, as we wanted the space to physically straddle the forest and pond in the same way we crossed over the two programs.”
When the door to the building is closed, almost all light enters through a single large window facing the water.
One side of the curved building is clad in copper; it reflects moving light from the pond and receives dappled light through the trees.
The kids may play in the meditation half when not in use, but the play space was designed largely on the forest side of the structure.
The cabin mirrors both sides of its environment, thereby meeting its dual purposes: the kids’ half is meant for exploration in the forest, and the meditation space is a still suspension over a moving pond.
The cabin is wired with electricity for nighttime use.
The wood and copper will weather with time and are designed to withstand the temperate climate of Hampshire.