Architecture studio Precht has unveiled Bert, a conceptual modular treehouse shaped like a tree trunk, with large round windows designed to make it look like the single-eyed character from the film Minions.
Precht, co-founded by husband and wife team Chris and Fei Tang Precht, designed the system called Bert for tiny-homes startup Baumbau.

Bert is designed to sit on a circular base, with tube-shaped modular cells containing kitchens, living space, bedrooms and bathrooms that can be stacked over and around it like the limbs of a tree branching out from the trunk.
The treehouse would be made from wood, with leaf-like shingles to help it blend in with a forest setting.

If used for an off-grid retreat, solar panels would be installed on the roof and composting toilets added at ground level. Interiors are designed to be dark and cosy, with large round windows and balconies like the eyes of a cartoon character to frame views of the landscape.

"We are fully aware that architecture is this serious and profound craft with a long culture and tradition. You see that when we architects find reference for our projects in art, philosophy, literature or nature," said Precht co-founder Chris Precht.
"For this project, we also looked at art to find reference. But not at Michelangelo or Dali. Rather we looked at cartoon characters of Sesame Street or Minions."

Minions are the little yellow henchmen who wear distinctive eye-goggles, who star in the computer-animated ch...