Malcolm Fraser Architects has completed work on a 9sq m tree house studio in Glen Nevis for collaborative arts group London Fieldworks.

Set within a remote sheltered glen on a steeply sloping site in the Highlands, the £17,000 Outlandia Fieldstation will host residencies from artists, film makers and writers as well as providing space for local community groups.

The practice was commissioned in 2007 as part of the Year of Highland Culture by London Fieldworks’ founders Bruce Gilchrist and Jo Joelson, with a brief calling for an eco-design that could be built using local materials and labour while fostering the relationship between art and nature.

Perched on top of a reappropriated tree trunk, the larch timber structure is anchored to the slope by chain ties and a bridge.

“From the start we realised that the pine trees were very slender and could not support the structure themselves,” said project architect Niall Jacobson. “However it was important to the client and ourselves that the studio still be a tree house.

“The manner in which it is restrained and supported allows for some movement; it will sway a little, as a tree house does.”

Access will be provided by a new track through the surrounding forest and a steep flight of steps.

No water or power is provided. Artists are expected to bring their own materials and supplies, removing them when they have finished using the space.

“For such a small building it was a big challenge, not least because of the limited budget, but also because of the difficult site,” said Jacobson.

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