Memory of project
In the end of 2012, the tutors of Endor contacted the XXXIIIrd European Architecture Students Assembly showing their interest for tutoring and constructing a major workshop with wood on trees that could remain in Zuzemberk to be used by the municipality. The event organisers received with enthusiasm the proposal and helped to enrich the initial proposal providing information and support. Eventually the tutors of Endor participated on a competition for workshops in which circa 100 proposals were received.
Endor Workshop/EASA 2013. Photography © courtesy of Endor Workshop/EASA.
Location
Endor is located on the left bank of the Krka river on the South-East edge of Zuzemberk in an area populated by poplar trees. This area of the town is predominantly flat and enjoys a natural landscape with the presence of very little constructions. Due to its natural landscape and the presence of the river, the area is frequently visited by a low-density affluence of villagers during the summer months.
Concept
Endor is conceived as three tree-huts elevated from the ground that overlook different landmarks of the area: the town castle, the river and the forest. These three huts are independent, but connected through a common central staircase.The three of them are different, adapting themselves to the trees that support them and offering the visitors different perspectives and atmospheres through a limited use of colours.
Strategy
Building on trees can be a complicated task if you take into account that it is difficult to measure accurately the position of the trunk at all heights, but it is even more complex to build a construction that is linked to more than one tree. The success of the workshop was based on a precise measurement of the site done in May 2013, and also on the creation of a construction strategy that foresees constant checks of the tree position throughout the process, allowing the adaptation and reorientation of the structure.
Construction
Endor is a wooden construction that is structurally supported by three poplar trees (by placing in the trunks pairs of bolts specially designed for this purpose), but also by the ground. Each one of the modules is structurally independent and counts with pairs of main beams loading on the tree on one side and on the pillar structure on the other, same for the floors as for the roof beams.
The secondary beams of floor and roof structures are connected by pairs of uprights that spatially enclose the modules and at the same time support the horizontal brise-soleils. These brise-soleils are painted on their upper side with a colour, obtaining three different coloured atmospheres in each one of the three modules when the sun shines and gets reflected inside the constructions.
The staircase is placed on a central position in order to serve as a common staircase for all the modules. The stair development counts with five flights of steps from ground to the upper module. The different flights are structurally independent and are individually supported by the upper main beams of each module.Endor se encuentra en el margen izquierdo del río Krka en el extremo sureste de la localidad de Zuzemberk, en un area poblada por olmos. Este rincón de la localidad es predominantemente llano y cuenta con un paisaje natural con muy pocas construcciones. Debido a su entorno natural y a la presencia del río, este área recibe una afluencia moderada de habitantes de la región durante los meses de verano.
Endor Workshop/EASA 2013. Photography © courtesy of Endor Workshop/EASA.
Construction Process
The construction of Endor was executed during a two-week workshop involving more than 30 participants. Its construction counted therefore with two main determinants: the reduced time and the coordination of a high number of collaborators on site.
Despite these determinants, participants were divided in coordinated small groups with rotating tasks. The first week was mainly devoted to the organisation and preparation of wood and to the redesign of the project on ground along to the preparation of a movable scaffolding to be used during the whole construction process. By the second week participants were already familiar with the project and also working with power tools. The tasks for the second week mainly consisted on assembling the different parts of the project.
The project was completed and delivered to the municipality of Zuzemberk during an opening ceremony that took place on 17th August 2013.
Text.- Endor Workshop / EASA
