This project proposes the design of a sculptural, immersive, and abstract cabin, anchored in a harmonious and proportionate dialogue with its natural environment. Nestled in the heart of a tall, dense forest and on the banks of a pebble-filled torrent, this
structure aims to capture the essence of these two founding elements: the slender verticality of the trees and the organic softness of pebbles polished by time and water.
Formal Inspiration
The cabin is inspired by two distinct yet complementary natural forms in a logic of perfect proportionality:
The vertical forest: The slender and rhythmic tree trunks define an architectural language where the cabin seems to extend the verticality of its surroundings. This inspiration guides the timber frame and the spatial arrangement of a spiral, giving rise to
a structure that rises with lightness, positioned between camouflage and an assertive presence.
River pebbles: The pebbles, worn and sculpted by water, bring an organic and fluid component to the project. Their roundness inspires the design of the interior spaces, which favor soft and enveloping forms, conducive to contemplation and tranquility.
This inspires the overall round shape and the application of mirrored glass on certain parts. Glass being a liquid material (in the physical and chemical sense of the term, glass is a supercooled liquid, also considered an amorphous solid).
Materiality and Structure
The choice of materials is inspired by the project’s environment.
Raw and local wood, echoing the surrounding tree trunks, which constitutes the main spiral structure of the stairs and its railings.
Mirrored glass that allows for constant interaction between the observer and their environment, playing with the light filtered by the canopy and the observer’s point of view.
Existing forest floor in which the project is anchored, which will accompany the experience of walking through the forest right into the interior.
Experience and Usage
The interior space is designed as a protective cocoon, fostering introspection and a sensory connection with the surrounding nature. A single opening, carefully placed on the opposite side of the project from the site entrance, thus requiring the user to
demonstrate curiosity and walk around the cabin to enter it. This discreet, partitioned space, reinforcing the feeling of immersion and connection with the forest, also aims to create an acoustic break from the river.
The outdoor lookout, accessible via a helical spiral staircase that should be easily “discovered” behind the railings plunging into the ground, leads toward the canopy, passing through a viewpoint toward the torrent; upon arrival, the railing
continues to rise by coiling, thus creating a “parabola” that captures the sound of the forest while cutting out that of the river, creating depth and acoustic contrast between the different sequences of the user experience.
This sculptural refuge does not merely seek to offer shelter, but to become an element of transition between humans and nature—an invitation to inhabit the landscape differently, in a subtle balance between abstraction and organicity.
