PROJECTS & HOSPITALITY
CABINS
The imaginative, alluring power of the cabins, or lodges or hyttes, with their intrinsic naturalness, and seamless contact with nature in which the building is immersed becomes a source of wellbeing for those who live there. This has, of course, come to the residential sector as well, which took inspiration from these structures in their shapes, materials, and values. But, in terms of size and liveability, they are translated into larger scales. For example, House LO, the cabin/house built in Chřiby (Czech Republic) in the middle of a wooded area, was designed by Ateliér Lina Bellovičová for a private client; the 195 sqm house, built with hemp bricks and wood, is separated from the surrounding nature by large sliding windows. Inside are an entrance hall, two bedrooms, a bathroom, as well as a cellar with technical services, a dark room, club room, and storage room. It is completed by a choice of interiors in keeping with the architecture: sleek and essential.
Another example is the Lakeside Cabin designed by Atelier Schwimmer in Knowlton (Canada), overlooking the shores of Lake Brome. This house has become emblematic of the passion of the owners (two brothers) for outdoor life - and the myriad of related activities. The essence of the project is in the vertical atrium that opens onto the lake, dividing in two the house and its 980 sqm; the concrete floor creates continuity between the spaces together with the central fireplace that serves as a fulcrum point and is next to a triple156 | IFDM
height area that makes it always visible. On the second floor, the division is crossed by a bridge that creates additional common spaces and four bedrooms take off from it. On the exterior, the architects opted for larch treated in two ways: charred boards for the walls most in contact with the natural elements, and natural oil to protect the less exposed boards. This creates an interplay of light and shadow, accentuated by several windows that set the rhythm of the entire volume and create an ongoing indoor/outdoor dialogue.
Czech Republic, Canada
