Purpose: The purpose of this study is to gather, compile and increase of knowledgeabout development of Ecolodge treehouses in tropical climates. It maps how to developa treehouse lodging sustainably in the areas of building technology, installations anddesign.

Method: This study's methodology consists of planned observations and literaturestudies. The planned observations were performed on two treehouse lodges in thetropical climates of Colombia. The literature studies contain the areas: Ecolodge,Building technology, Installations and Design. The literature is primary collected fromscientific databases, such as Science Direct. When the desired literature was not found,other literature has been used.

Findings: The standard on the observed treehouse lodges were low, yet fulfilledseveral aspects of the International Ecolodge Guidelines. The guidelines are outdatedand not profound enough to distinguish sustainable lodging. The literature studyindicates that there are sustainable options for the development of treehouse lodgingavailable. However, the natural conditions of the specific case need to be examined toensure that the right choices were made. A summary of the results are found inchapter 5.2 and 5.3.

Implications: The concept of Ecolodge and its International Guidelines are notsufficiently enough and can easily mislead various stakeholders. It should be up to dateand structured more thoroughly to avoid greenwashing. Highlighting flaws is importantto make sure that the development is lead in the right direction and the study also showsthat there are sustainable options available. The range of scientific studies within thearea is currently very small. Further studies can be done in several directions which inturn can contribute to increased knowledge in the field.

Limitations: The case study is performed on two cases and unfortunately, they did notgive answers to all the studied aspects. Therefore, comparisons with the literature studywere not possible in a desirable way in these fields. It is difficult to determine how thegeographical location of the cases affects the results, and it is not possible to know ifthe results would have been the same with cases from other parts of the world.

Keywords: treehouse, building in trees, Ecotourism, Ecolodge, sustainable lodging,Ecolodge guidelines, rainforest, sustainable installations, photovoltaic solar system,wastewater treatment.