If a tree falls in the forest in Kazakhstan…there will be someone around to hear it. The residents of a modern circular glass treehouse built around a 40ft fir tree will not only hear it, they will likely have a great view of it too.

In an area where the typical home sells for around £625,000, Kazakh architect, Aibek Almassov, will build this eco-friendly small-footprint home for £225,000 using a series of metal columns, plasterboard panels, concrete and wooden flooring, and floor-to-ceiling windows to take full advantage of the forest’s bucolic views.

Located in the mountainous region of Almaty, Kazakhstan, the property will be constructed using a series of metal columns, plasterboard panels, concrete and wooden flooring, and floor-to-ceiling windows for optimum viewing of the wooded area. Representative of their efforts to leave the natural elements undisturbed, the core of the house is the 40ft fir tree around which the entire home is designed.

Commissioned by a 38-year old businessman looking for a place conducive to spiritual and creative development, the residents will give up their privacy in exchange for a dwelling at one with and surrounded by nature.

As A. Masow Architects explain on their website, “The design is intended to foster “more fusion with nature” and to encourage the house residents to “give up some unnecessary conditions and things.” 

Photos via A Masow Architects. h/t World Architecture News.