Mirror Cube (tree house hotel)
Location: Sweden
Architect: Tham & Videgård
Completed: 2010

When city life becomes too much to bear, you cold do much worse than checking in to this, one of a series of tree hotels in a forest close to the small village of Harads, close to the Arctic Circle in Sweden. Designed by Tham & Videgård Arkitekter, the hotel takes the unusual form of a lightweight aluminium structure hung around a tree trunk, a 4 x 4 x 4 meters box clad in mirrored glass. The exterior reflects the surrounding trees and the sky, creating a camouflaged refuge. The interior is made of plywood and the windows give panoramic views of the forest.

To prevent birds colliding with the reflective glass, a transparent ultraviolet colour, visible only to birds, is laminated into the glass panes.

Accordingo the architects, 'the construction also alludes to how man relates to nature, how we use high-tech materials and products when exploring remote places in harsh climates (Gore-tex, Kevlar, composite materials, lightweight tents etc)'.

Desigend for two people only the hotel contains a double bed, a small bathroom, a living room and a roof terrace. Access to the cabin is by a rope bridge connected to the next tree.