The forester-architect

**Honey** · December 10th, 2009, 08:50 PM

Roald Gundersen, an architect, and his life and business partner, Amelia Baxter, 31, with their two children, 3-year-old Estella and 9-month-old Cameron.

Mr. Gundersen, who founded Gundersen Design in 1991 and built his first house in the forest 10 miles east of the Mississippi River and 150 miles northwest of Madison two years later, has made a career of working with trees.

Mr. Gundersen built his home and greenhouse using whole trees for structure and support, after first pruning and bending them.

After finishing the A-frame, Mr. Gundersen built a 100-by-20-foot solar greenhouse next door with thick straw-bale walls on three sides, banked into the north slope.

The small house attached to the greenhouse was constructed out of elm trees peeled of their bark.

The Forester-Architect - The New York Times > Home & Garden > Slide Show > Slide 12 of 12

**sputnik** · December 10th, 2009, 09:41 PM

that's really cool.

**A*O** · December 10th, 2009, 10:35 PM

It's OK if you're a hobbit.

**Shinola** · December 10th, 2009, 10:57 PM

I like it a lot provided it's in the right setting. Aside: A family member of mine met this architect recently and was impressed.

**Sojiita** · December 11th, 2009, 05:05 PM

Originally Posted by A*O

It's OK if you're a hobbit.

I am officially a hobbit then. I LOVE it. And it has that huge greenhouse*squeals like a six year old girl*

Now all I have to do is try and scheme on how to get rid of that wife and kids, and get my ass living in their with this guy instead!

It does need some more landscaping to blend it into it's forest setting(about he only place it would work-in a woods, on a wooded cliffedge, beside a pond in the woods, on a wooded hillside, etc) ..anyway I could do the landscaping.

*jealous of that bitch and her kids...

*