We've written about pop-up innovations of many kinds, including Greenhouse by Joost, a cafe in Melbourne that was designed to showcase sustainable practices. That pop-up will soon disappear, but a new project in New Zealand recently opened the doors on a pop-up restaurant that was constructed 10 metres up a tree.
Located near Warkworth, about 45 minutes north of Auckland, the Yellow Treehouse is a pod-shaped restaurant that was built as part of a marketing promotion by the New Zealand Yellow Pages to prove that all the suppliers for any project can be found through its listings. Serving as a case in point, the restaurant opened Jan. 9 and will stay open to the public only through Feb. 9, according to the original plans. The Yellow Treehouse was designed by Pacific Environments Architects and is situated above an open meadow and meandering stream on the edge of the woods. It sits almost 10m wide and over 12m high, with the split-level floor sitting 10m off the ground. Acrylic sheeting makes the mostly wood structure weather-resistant, and access is via a 60m treetop walkway. Inside, the restaurant seats 18, with kitchen and bathrooms on ground level. Lunch, dinner and afternoon tea are served, but currently, all seatings are completely booked. The project is currently considering whether to keep the restaurant open beyond the original plan, according to its website. Meanwhile, its exact location is disclosed only to those with booked seating, making idle sightseeing impossible for the masses.
Besides serving as a marketing tool for its original sponsor, of course, the Yellow Treehouse is sure to provide a fresh experience consumers won't soon forget. The secrecy of its location and the scarcity of reservations, meanwhile, only increase its appeal. Whether as like marketing promotions or as genuine restaurants-in-earnest, similar efforts could take several lessons from this example! (Related: Pop-up nightclubs launch in Singapore.)
Website: www.yellowtreehouse.co.nz
Contact: info@yellowtreehouse.co.nz
Spotted by: Michael Eastgate
Wonderful. Looks great!
I want one.
I'm not sure if this project is that secret, you can see it from the main highway running to Warkworth, the redwood forest is signposted, if you look through the trees you can see it while you are driving past.