Student Dwelling:
Case Study 1

After spending two years in a tent, Pablo Moncayo is living in the Tree House, built by Bill Shoettker in 1989.

Taliesin West's Tree House, built by Bill Shoettker in 1989

'There were termites, the roof was leaking and it was full of dead bugs,' he says.

Taliesin West's Tree House, built by Bill Shoettker in 1989

Other inherited features include trees growing through the roof and geometric wood slatting punctuating the colourful slabs of river rock that characterises the interior.

Moncayo added a built-in desk and benches in the same stone and concrete as Taliesin West

Moncayo added a built-in desk, bed frame and benches, and relocated the door, which he replaced with his own design in glass and wood.

Moncayo will stay in the Tree House until his own shelter is built

Later this year, Moncayo will move into his own shelter, designed from scratch, which he will leave as a legacy to be inherited and perhaps further modified by a future generation of students.