A Labyrinth Abstracted: 'Tree in The House' Designed by A.Masow Design Studio

Buried in the trees of Kazakhstan's sweeping Almaty forest is a cylindrical glass structure designed to help one with spiritual and creative development. At the moment, the four-story greenhouse designed by Architect Aibek Almasov, founder of A.Masow Design Studio, is still in early conceptual phases. Soon, the realized home will be a tranquilizing escape from the  bustling of Almaty - Kazakhstan's largest, most developed and culturally diverse city.

Almasov designed the 'Tree in the house' as a tool of meditation, an abstract labyrinth of sorts. For thousands of years, human beings have created the spiral paths that fold back on themselves within labyrinths for reasons ranging from decoration to art and myth. Used as a meditation tool consisting of a walkable single line path, a labyrinth can be a source of solace and can quieten a distracted or over-reactive mind. For some, walking a labyrinth can help resolve inner discomfort and still the mind.

Inside the greenhouse, the single line path of the labyrinth comes in the form of an endless circular ring. The round layout of each floor is continuous from the first floor to the top floor, connected with a spiral stone staircases between each level. At the center of the home is one giant tree that ascends from the ground to the glass roof.

Natural materials such as wood and stone are integrated into the design to parallel the habitual surroundings of the structure. Here, guests of the retreat have the opportunity to use the space as a spiritual tool, quietly revolving on a pathway that can help one to ponder life's greater mysteries.

 Images by A.Masow Design Studio