BETWEEN SCYLLA AND CHARYBDIS

In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus and his crew must carefully pass through the strait of Messina, guarded by Scylla and Charybdis on his long journey back to Ithaca. Scylla has six heads while Charybdis lives in a giant whirlpool. The fantasy story, whether true or not, implies the awe of nature and its dialectical forces. This project, located in the woods of Northern California, is a temporary lodge for voyagers travelling around the world. Inspired by the story in Odyssey, the users of the tree house are constantly in a situation between Scylla and Charybdis : they are dwelling between the monstrous tree branches and the swirl inspired treehouse structure.In other words, the threshold between the man-made structure and nature is blurred. The gigantic primitive tree on the site and the modern swirl-shaped house are deeply intertwined. The ladder intrigues visitors to climb up and then the house starts to reveal its true nature. The voyagers start to see the tree trunk sometimes engulfed by while in other moments piercing through the building envelope. Unlike other lodges of its type, the users not only see the tree looming large outside as a backdrop, but at the same time living in it.