Baumhaus Steirereck: Treehouses in Pogusch, Austria

In Pogusch, in the Austrian forest, a restaurant offers cabins in the trees in the shape of a tree trunk, with large round windows.

Europe - Austria - Other hotels in Austria - Pogusch

bert studio precht architecture modular treehouse baumhaus austria

Images Courtesy Baumhaus Steirereck Pogusch, Christian Flatscher, Studio Precht Designs

Baumhaus Steirereck – Sleeping in the Trees, Reimagined by Studio Precht

Book Baumhaus Steirereck

Four Treehouses Hidden in the Forest

At Pogusch, the Reitbauer family, behind the acclaimed Steirereck restaurant, created a radically different way to extend the experience of their culinary destination. Four treehouses known as Bert are scattered through the surrounding forest, just steps from Steirereck am Pogusch. Opened in 2022, they offer guests the chance to stay overnight after dinner while experiencing the landscape from an entirely new perspective. Each structure functions as a private vertical retreat, intimate and independent, almost as though it had grown naturally between the trees.

Architecture Inspired by a Tree

The Bert treehouses were designed by Studio Precht, founded by Chris Precht and Fei Tang, in collaboration with Baumbau and Rudi Obauer. Their distinctive form takes its cues directly from the structure of a tree: a central vertical “trunk” supports horizontal volumes that extend like branches. The design minimizes its footprint while maximizing the interior experience vertically. Curved cross-laminated timber elements give the structures their distinctive organic silhouette, creating architecture that feels playful, sculptural and remarkably integrated into its surroundings.

Interiors Designed as Wooden Cocoons

Inside, the material palette is intentionally restrained, focusing on spruce wood, natural textiles, mineral surfaces and expansive glazing. A spiral staircase runs through the central “trunk,” connecting the different levels, while the living spaces extend outward into the tree-like branches. Large windows open directly onto the forest, creating an almost seamless relationship between the interior and its surroundings. Despite their compact footprint, the individual treehouses offer approximately 27 to 42 square meters of living space, creating intimate yet highly characterful retreats.

A Bedroom Suspended Above the Forest

At Baumhaus Steirereck, nature is not simply part of the scenery—it is the destination itself. From the sleeping areas, floor-to-ceiling windows frame the surrounding trees, shifting light and the mountainous landscapes of Styria. Elevated within the forest, the treehouses offer a perspective that feels both intimate and almost childlike in its sense of wonder. There is deliberately little visual distraction. The luxury comes from silence, privacy and the rare sensation of waking up surrounded by trees.

Dining at Steirereck am Pogusch

The Baumhaus experience is inseparable from Steirereck am Pogusch, the celebrated restaurant at the heart of the estate. Led by Heinz and Birgit Reitbauer, the restaurant combines contemporary fine dining with Styrian traditions, seasonal ingredients and a strong connection to the surrounding land. The wider estate includes gardens, greenhouses, a distillery and spaces dedicated to cultivating and preparing ingredients. Together, the restaurant and treehouses create a holistic experience rooted in landscape, agriculture and gastronomy.

Architecture with a Lighter Footprint

The Bert treehouses were conceived with a strong focus on minimizing their impact on the surrounding forest. Their compact structures require very little ground area while making extensive use of timber and natural materials. Renewable energy and resource-conscious systems further reinforce the project’s environmental approach. Rather than treating sustainability as an aesthetic statement, Baumhaus Steirereck demonstrates how architecture can create an extraordinary hospitality experience while maintaining a remarkably light relationship with the landscape.

A Rare Escape in the Austrian Alps

The true luxury of Baumhaus Steirereck lies in how completely it steps away from conventional hotel culture. There is no grand lobby, no monumental building and no artificial boundary between architecture and nature. Instead, guests climb into the trees and allow the landscape to become the experience. Between an exceptional dinner at Steirereck am Pogusch and a night spent suspended above the forest, the Bert treehouses create a rare meeting point between architecture, gastronomy and nature.