renaud morel and dans mon arbe: kaban

'kaban' at the kapellerput country estate in heeze by renaud morel and dans mon arbe
all photos by peter venema


a floating wooden landscape 6 metres up in the air, high among the tree tops and hovering over
the pool, is kaban at the kapellerput country estate in heeze, brabant the netherlands.
'kaban' was designed by renaud morel, in collaboration with the french company dans mon arbre,
which specialises in designing and building tree houses. the opening of kaban took place
in late september 2010. 

kaban was almost exclusively built from natural resources. its natural shapes, made from sustainable
materials, are in equilibrium with the surroundings. the innovative design and construction concept
make kaban a daring example of a sustainable organic construction style in the netherlands. 

dans mon arbre (literally: in my tree) specialises in wooden constructions with an unusual look.
the company, set up by frank coursier, previously won the ‘sett d'or’: the prestigious french award
for innovative projects in the tourist sector. renault morel was hired by dans mon arbre to create
the design for kaban. the starting point for his design was to work from the strength of the location,
finding a balance between man and nature in the process. the interior design was made by consultation
from de kliuw from heeze who have opted for new designs which jokingly refer to nature, including
design classics by eames and panton.