Free Spirit Spheres | Free Spirit Spheres Inc.

bio-mimicry to create a human habitation in a forest Qualicum Beach / Canada / 1995

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The theme of this project is 'Oneness'. The spheres are designed to fit harmoniously into a forest setting without altering it. They use the trees for a foundation and enable us to celebrate the beauty and wonder that is already there, without changing it. Inside the sphere, walls and ceiling become one. They aren't separated like in a conventional building. A single continuous curved wall. If you believe in the concept of oneness then why not surround yourself with a structure that reflects it? Then step outside and look up. You'll see the web of rope connecting the sphere to the trees, which reflects our connectedness to the eco-system we live in. Suspended spheres reduce the human footprint to near zero. They utilize bio-mimicry to create a human habitation that can live in the forest. The sphere, like a nut shell, can withstand impacts and the web of rope, like a spiders web, attaches to many strong points. Its stretchiness enables sphere and trees to move freely. It creates a feeling of floating when in the sphere. The well appointed interiors eliminate the need to 'rough it' to live in the deep forest. Spheres can be inserted into the forest by helicopter, road or water. A crew of 3 can install one in few days. A perfect place to meditate and commune with nature. To re-connect. Materials: The spheres use a variety of different materials, depending on the purpose each components serves. The original 2 shells were made of wood. Eve is made of yellow cedar and Eryn is made of reclaimed sitka spruce. Both wooden spheres are covered with fibreglass cloth and epoxy resin to consolidate and seal the wood. After Eryn was produced we took a mold from the finished wooden shell and now we manufacture fibreglass replicas of Eryn. A fibreglass shell saves almost a man/year of labor and is much more durable with lower maintenance cost. It is not a sustainable material but it is used in a very sustainable manner. Windows are made from cast acrylic and are curved to the same radius as the sphere. Interior furnishings are all custom made from FSC certified hardwood. The door and window hardware is all custom cast bronze. The designs and patterns are produced by Free Spirit Spheres Inc. Door hinges are fabricated from aluminum and bronze and built at our facility. The attachment points that enable the sphere to be suspended are fabricated from carbon steel at our factory. The suspension ropes that hold the sphere up are poly-steel although we are experimenting with braided dacron rope. Initial stairways were built using cedar, metal bands and poly-steel rope, but modern ones use galvanized aircraft wire for stays.
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    The theme of this project is 'Oneness'. The spheres are designed to fit harmoniously into a forest setting without altering it. They use the trees for a foundation and enable us to celebrate the beauty and wonder that is already there, without changing it. Inside the sphere, walls and ceiling become one. They aren't separated like in a conventional building. A single continuous curved wall. If you believe in the concept of oneness then why not surround yourself with a structure that reflects...

    Project details
    • Year 1995
    • Status Completed works
    • Type Hotel/Resorts
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