The E’terra Samara Resort

The E’terra Samara Resort is designed to be a five star eco-resort for the rugged environment of Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada. The project is committed to providing a restorative place in a natural setting that addresses the mental, physical, and spiritual dimensions of guest health. Emerging from the desire to not only be “in the trees” but also “of the trees”, there are twelve one-bedroom villas that are suspended in trees throughout the dense forest of Grand Bend.

Rather than following the common practice of nailing the dwelling to the tree, the structures are made of locally harvested wood and are suspended from a series of cables attached to a collar that hugs the tree higher up the trunk. The design of the collar is inspired by the umbrella-like yukitsuri ropes that support the branches of black pine trees in Kenrokuen Garden, Kanazawa, Japan, so they don’t bend under heavy snow.

Both the name and the dominant form of the project are inspired by the Samara, more commonly known as the maple key. Samaras have a winged, fibrous, papery propeller shape that enables the autumn wind to carry the maple seeds father from the parent tree.