Given that 31% of the planet is covered with forests and woods, it is understandable that the world boasts many modern dwellings built in the forests. Designers that are part of Living in the Forest have claimed that they were inspired by the past to create homes for the future.

They took inspiration from indigenous culture, folklore, vernacular architecture, or even just the land on its own. While doing this, they have embarked upon the concept of green construction as well as refashioning the way that we humans live in nature.

Here are some of the most breathtaking forest home designs worldwide.

Woodnest, Helen & Hard, 2020, Odda, Norway

Rachel Claire/Pexels | The 20ft height gives a gorgeous view of the forest from above

Helen & Hard are Norwegian architects who designed a tree house that is 20ft high in the air above the ground of the forest, on an abrupt hill slide that slopes down to the Hardangerfjord.

They experimented while working with the wood in new ways, imparting the Norwegian architectural traditions on the construction. The way to the house is through a bridge built around a living tree’s trunk and secured with a metal arrest with negligible damage.

Sirena House, Studio Saxe, 2020, Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

Jason Boyd/Pexels | The gorgeous water-front Sirena house is packed with greenery, with bushes and plants at every nook and cranny of the residence

This gorgeous waterfront home was designed by Costa Rican architects known as Studio Saxe; they created a chain of pavilions with roofs that overlap in order to make the house blend in with the forest. There is greenery growing in between the glazed corridors and structures of the home that has interiors flowing out to the balcony.

Every single room of the dwelling boasts glass doors on two or three sides, leading outside and also permitting the ocean air to enter. The architects like to call it the beginning of sustainable tropical architecture as it is designed in a way that reduces the use of energy.

Forest House, Shma, 2017, Bangkok, Thailand

Maria Orlova/Pexels | There are over 120 trees in the building, with over 20 species of trees

It’s not necessary for a building to have trees all around it in order for it to be a forest home. Architects at Shma created a concept to improve the air quality and counteract rapid urbanization by designing a green residence right in the center of the city of Bangkok.

The building boasts a chain of adjacent divisions. It has a number of roof grounds that are planted with over 120 trees that helps create a forest which is also beneficial for the street-facing bedroom as it provides and natural screen.

The verdure features more than 20 native species, handpicked specifically according to their minimum requirement of water as well as shapes and sizes that would permit as much vegetation as possible.

Shirley Higgins