Tag Archives: A-frame

Top 10 A-Frame Cabins To Remind Us Why This Architectural Style Will Always Remain Iconic

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There’s something about an A-frame cabin that instantly puts you at ease and makes you feel at home. I personally love cabin getaways and spending the weekend, nestled away in the woods, in a quintessential and humble A-frame cabin, is my idea of the perfect stress buster! Away from the hustle-bustle of the city, and surrounded by the warm sun, lush trees, and gentle wind. What could be better than that? So, we’ve curated a collection of super cozy and welcoming A-frame cabins that promise to help you relax, rejuvenate, and connect with nature. Add these cabins to your must-visit bucket list and get planning!

1. A-Frame Club

Designed by Skylab Architecture, and dubbed the A-frame Club, these 31 A-frame cabins are arranged in a hexagonal arrangement and are an upgraded and better version of traditional ski chalets. They are prefabricated cabins and are located in Winter Park, Colorado.

Why is it noteworthy?

With a contemporary twist, the compact and adorable cabins form a snowflake pattern across the three-acre lot. Occupying 23,450 feet, the project “takes design cues from 1970s American ski culture and the iconic A-frame cabins of that era,” said the studio.

What we like

  • Retain the essence of traditional ski chalets, while upgrading them

What we dislike

  • The loft bed is accessible via a ship’s ladder, which can be inconvenient to use and isn’t very inclusive

2. Cabins in Farouche Tremblant

A series of A-frame buildings populate the Devil River’s Valley with the Mont-Tremblant National Park in the background. The Farouche Tremblant agrotourism site includes four rental micro-cabins, a cafe, and a farm.

Why is it noteworthy?

Designed by the Canadian architecture studio Atelier l’Abri, the buildings are meant to “recede in the landscape”. The studio designed that function as a basecamp for visitors who want to visit Devil’s River and Valley.

What we like

  • Features outdoor decking and a glazed gable end which enables visitors to truly make the most of the vistas of the surrounding natural landscape

What we dislike

  • The aesthetics of the cabins are a bit old-school

3. Dune Dormer

Dubbed the Dune Dormer, this rustic A-frame cabin was built by RTA Studio on the stunning Great Barrier Island in New Zealand. The cabin is inspired by the traditional Pacific huts, which is quite evident in its gable roof hut.

Why is it noteworthy?

Mimicking the traditional Maori huts, the Dune Dormer’s silhouette reminds you of a harbor standing upright on a dune, helping seafaring owners reach home. It creates a minimal impact on its surrounding landscape.

What we like

  • Inspired by traditional Maori huts
  • Has a spacious feel to it unlike traditional A-frame cabins

What we dislike

  • The aesthetics of the cabin may be too old school for some

5. Slope House

Called the Slope House, this untraditional A-frame cabin is truly one-of-a-kind, and it uses a biophilic design inside and out. It is an angular timber cabin that is tucked away on top of an idyllic hillside somewhere in the lush rainforests of Brazil.

Why is it noteworthy?

It features a signature triangular frame that is an interesting and thoughtful twist on the conventional A-frame cabin. It is made up of two modules, and one internal volume that hosts the cabin’s bedroom, while the other accommodates the home’s main living spaces.

What we like

  • A biophilic design style has been integrated into the cabin’s interior spaces
  • Natural plants have been added inside the house as a small garden

What we dislike

  • The theme and form of the home may be a bit too eccentric for some

6. Kiani’s Lakehouse

Soheil Kiani designed this lakehouse that is formed by two symmetrical A-frame cabins connected by a glass sky bridge. This stunning home is envisioned in the foothills of Gisoom forest near the city of Talesh, Iran.

Why is it noteworthy?

The lakehouse is nestled near the forest’s beginnings, and it is designed to provide guests and residents with an immersive experience in nature, where they get to enjoy all the beauty the natural forest has to offer.

What we like

  • Made up of north and south-facing facades that are built entirely from glass

What we dislike

  • It’s a concept, so we don’t know how well it will translate into a real tangible product

7. UHU

Called UHU, this tiny A-frame-esque cabin is raised on stilts and located in the heart of Charlevoix, Canada. The name translates to ‘owl’ in the Innu language, and it nested 12 meters in the air, with access to lovely views of the Saint-Laurence River.

Why is it noteworthy?

The triangular cabin features a glazed facade which allows for generous views of the surrounding forest and green landscape. You can enter the cabin via an enclosed spiral staircase, and a 6-meter bridge. Although compact in size, the UHU cabin is equipped with all the amenities you need for a comfortable and cozy stay.

What we like

  • Offers an immersive experience amidst the treetops
  • It is elevated 12 meters above the ground

What we dislike

  • It can only accommodate two people

8. Nolla

Called Nolla, meaning ‘zero’ in Finnish, this cabin functions entirely on renewable energy and is located on the Vallisaari island, near Helsinki. It is built using sustainable materials such as local plywood and pine and is designed to support a ‘zero waste lifestyle’.

Why is it noteworthy?

Every element has been designed with the hope of not leaving behind any carbon footprint. Covered by mirrors and supported by wooden stilts, it excludes modern commodities.

What we like

  •  Powered by emission-free solar panels and a Wallas stove that runs on Nestle’s MY renewable diesel

What we dislike

  • Can not accommodate too many people, so it’s not the best option for families

9. Bivvi

The Bivvi is a modular and transportable A-frame cabin that is designed to bring people closer to the outdoors. It can be attached to your car for road trips, or to a foundation for permanent placement.

Why is it noteworthy?

Mobility was their main source of inspiration, and each Bivvi Cabin can be swiftly attached to a trailer hitch and tow, allowing it to be transported almost anywhere. The Bivvi Cabin is even outfitted with off-grid capabilities like three 600W AC outlets, and a 100W solar panel.

What we like

  • Can be transported anywhere, supporting spontaneous trips to nature

What we dislike

  • The cabin can only really accommodate a desk and bed in terms of furniture

10. Iwi Cabin

Dubbed the Iwi Cabin, this innovative and unique design isn’t like ordinary A-frame cabins. It features a space-maximizing design that can be compressed and expanded as and when needed. It is like an accordion-shaped shed, that lets city dwellers expand space in their apartments.

Why is it noteworthy?

The Iwi Cabin is super easy to operate since owners can push and pull the shed, owing to the wheel system that allows it to be swiftly and efficiently handled and stored away.

What we like

  • The cabin is resistant to rain, wind, and sunshine
  • The interiors are outfitted using cork and sheep’s wool which provides insulation to the cold

What we dislike

  • The cabin features only one door/window, hence it is the only source of ventilation in the cabin

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LEGO Brings Adorable A-Frame Cabin to Life with Amazing Details

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An architectural icon from the years 1950 to 1975, the A-Frame cabin still remains one of the most eye-catching and visually memorable home styles. Characterized by an A-shaped design, the frame eschews a ceiling, instead opting for tapering walls that create a unique space to inhabit, with the option of high ceilings or even multi-level living that feels dynamic yet rustic at the same time. This cabin designed in LEGO bricks by LEGO user Norton74, captures the trend of the A-Frame heyday. In ways it also challenges the very nature of the LEGO Brick, which was itself designed to make traditional cuboidal structures back when it was invented in the 1930s.

Designer: Norton74

The beauty of Norton74’s A-Frame cabin is just how remarkably real it is. Whether observed from the outside or even its immaculately detailed insides, every corner of this build has something new to reveal. The cabin itself sits on a stone brick plinth, with colorful larch trees in the background. It’s mildly decrepit, with crooked staircases and boarded-up doors, but that adds to its charm.

The inside of the cabin shows exactly how charmingly rustic and cozy it is. A multi-level design gives you a recreational area at the bottom (with a fireplace), and a bedroom on the top that features two single beds and even some cobwebs on the wall for that forest charm. To access the insides of the cabin, all you need to do is ‘open’ its slanting walls outwards. Hinges on the bottom of the walls make it easy to access the interiors during play-time, and close it back once you’re done.

The inside is just filled with all sorts of details, from tools to trinkets, and even a tiny kitchen of sorts with a dining table. Norton74’s rather mindfully used discolored wooden bricks (including even some with shingle detailing) to mimic the variety often found in wooden cabins – especially ones that have been repaired and restored.

There’s even a backstory to Norton74’s cabin design. “Two brothers, Dan and Ethan, burned out on modern working believed that stripping away modern comforts and living more simply in nature would lead to a more spiritually a creatively fulfilling life. They looked for a cabin in the woods and finally found out this old wooden A-Frame Cabin. They fixed it up, and now they live there happily,” he mentions.

Dan and Ethan aren’t the only occupants of the cabin. Aside from the spiders on the first floor, the cabin is also accompanied by chickens, rodents, a skunk, and even a bear lurking around in the back.

Norton74’s LEGO A-Frame Cabin started its journey as a submission on the LEGO Ideas forum, where it received overwhelming support from the LEGO fanbase. Earlier this year, LEGO turned Norton74’s submission into a retail box kit (you can buy the LEGO A-Frame Cabin right now), although the design went through multiple rounds of changes to make it smaller and simpler for younger users to build. If you ask me, I prefer Norton74’s MOC (My Own Creation) overwhelmingly. It’s charmingly crude, has a son-of-the-soil appeal to it, and certainly possesses much more character if you ask me!

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SULA Is An Environmentally Conscious A-Frame Prefabricated Cabin In The Galapagos Islands

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If you’re looking for a stunning little cabin in the woods to get away to and simply relax, then you’ve reached the right place. Cabins are by far the best type of vacation I’ve come across. They’re a peaceful and tranquil option to abandon your urban life and woes, and simply unwind in nature. If you’re wondering where to head for your next cabin retreat, then we may have found the ideal one for you – SULA. Nestled in the Galapagos Islands, SULA is a prefabricated A-frame cabin that is a modern contemporary dwelling built using a mixture of wood, stone, metal, glass, and PVC. The cabin is designed by Diana Salvador, and it is anything but a conventional cabin.

Designer: Diana Salvador

The SULA Cabin is not simply an ordinary home but is the result of genius planning and environmental consciousness. The home was designed and constructed in continental Ecuador, and then transported in a thousand different pieces to the Galapagos Islands, where it is assembled and put together. The two-month design built involves 2000 custom-made components that are joined using 17,000 screws and pins! These various elements are then transported to Santa Cruz Island in two containers.

The assembly of the SULA Cabin took the efforts of four plant technicians and six floating employees who came from the mainland and utilized their specialized skills to build an impressive cabin within four weeks. This particular cabin was custom-designed for Catalina and her family, who have been living in the Galapagos for almost forty years. The cabin was designed to be a harmonious and subtle living space that attempts to respect its residents and the surrounding environments.

The SULA cabin is designed to be a premium quality, and sustainable structure that can be constructed without adversely impacting the environment. Although it is not a traditional A-frame cabin, it features a flap top that mimics an A in a different font without a cap. It is scalable, transportable, and can easily adapt to different environments and landscapes. It can also be easily disassembled and relocated, making it a true architectural marvel that impresses with its flexibility and adaptability.

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Meet The A-frame Club: A Series Of Prefabricated A-Frame Cabins In A Snowflake Pattern

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In Winter Park, Colorado are 31 A-frame cabins in a hexagonal arrangement called the A-frame Club. Designed by Skylab Architecture and completed this year, the prefabricated cabins are a rejuvenated and upgraded version of traditional ski chalets. With a contemporary twist, the compact and adorable cabins form a snowflake pattern across the three-acre lot. Occupying 23,450 feet, the project “takes design cues from 1970s American ski culture and the iconic A-frame cabins of that era,” said the studio.

Designer: Skylab Architecture

The entire project is a combination of raised cabins and a network of boardwalks that allow guests to interact with the mountain site, without harming the trees and natural watershed. It provides guests with an opportunity to completely immerse themselves in the natural landscape and beauty of the woods by the Fraser River. The cabins occupy 475 square feet and were prefabricated in Los Angeles by Plant Prefab, and assembled on-site.

The picturesque cabins feature steep black metal roofs that support warm vertical cedar boards. They are highlighted by tall triangular windows under the eaves that allow natural light to stream into the interiors while providing stunning views of the mountains. Inside, the cabins hold a living room, kitchenette, and bathroom, as well as a lofted bedroom space.

“The cabins are designed for adaptability. The lofted bed is accessible by a ship’s ladder, and the living room couches can be folded out. Guests are in control of their space, from individual keypads for self-check-in to simple, automated controls for heating, cooling, and lighting,” said the studio.

The interiors are quite warm and welcoming. They are lined with warm-toned cedar panels and custom millwork. Custom Malm fireplaces and vintage furnishings adorn the insides of the cabin – inspiration is drawn from classic ski advertisements. “Tactile custom finishes – including breeze blocks, bespoke woodwork, stained glass, leather upholstery, and even Noguchi-style lighting – emphasize craftsmanship while natural elements like cedar infuse a sense of warmth,” said the studio.

The cabins were also designed to be eco-friendly, as they are incorporated with energy-efficient heating, lighting, and low-flow fixtures. Since they are prefabricated, this also reduces material waste and allows them to be placed around mature trees without disturbing them.

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This A-Frame Home In Mexico City Has An Underground Floor With Submerged Bedrooms

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Designed by local studio Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados, this wooden A-Frame house is located in a forested area outside of Mexico City. The home features unique underground bedrooms and is surrounded by greenery on all sides, in the forest of Valle de Bravo. The expansive home includes two volumes stacked on top of each other, with the public living spaces located above, and the private living spaces located below.

Pros:

  • Built using pre-fabricated elements
  • The pitched roof is used for rainwater harvesting, filtering light, and passively ventilating the home

Cons:

  • The home is quite open and expansive with large windows, which could create a privacy issue
  • It could be tricky to move furniture between the two floors

Designer: Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados 

The A-Frame House has a large ground level featuring a semi-open living and dining room, kitchen, and family room. These spaces have a minimal footprint to create adequate space for a terrace. Pre-fabricated elements were brought to the site, and put together to build the A-Frame structure. The top and sides of the home have been covered in glass, including the space at the back. The terrace holds an outdoor pool and lounge area to allow residents to feel closer to the natural surroundings of the home.  “The main goal of this project was to give more importance to the surroundings present and to the open space given, embracing the idea of emptiness even with the possibility of having the architecture disappear,” said Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados (PPAA) founder Pablo Pérez Palacios.

Quite interestingly, a submerged staircase on the terrace grants access to the lower level which accommodates three bedrooms with private baths, and a small study. The sleeping sections have been artfully concealed into the ground, with surrounding trees providing an ample amount of privacy. “This design method gives you the possibility to really disconnect while enjoying your own solitude in the surrounding nature, gently forcing you to have that moment of relationship with the site, even if you’re just going to bed,” said Pérez Palacios.

The exterior of the home has a black finish accentuated by dark roof tiles, whereas the interiors are quite minimal and warm, highlighted with natural materials in neutral tones, and certified wood on the walls. The pitched roof of the A-Frame house isn’t just for aesthetic purposes, it also collects rainwater which is then transferred to an open water deposit for reuse.

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This DIY A-frame garage merges rustic simplicity with contemporary design to show off your cars in style!

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The Den Garage is a DIY garage floor plan from Den Outdoors that allows owners to build their own garage while following Den Outdoors’s blueprints.

Over the past couple of years, DIY cabin floor plans have become a hot commodity. Everyone’s hoping to build their own dream cabin in the woods and get their hands on the floor plans to take them there. With all of our attention spent on tiny cabins, our cars are missing out on some love. Coupling their expansive catalog of DIY cabin floor plans with garage floor plans, Den Outdoors released downloadable PDF files for consumers to follow and build their own garages in the same style of Den Outdoors’s cabin downloads.

Presented in three different packages, Den Outdoors has available floor plans for two-car and three-car garages. The two-car garage spans 650 square feet while the three-car garage stretches a little further, covering a total of 950 square feet. Similar to the company’s collection of cabin designs, the garages maintain that same classic A-frame structure that exudes rustic energy without compromising the structure’s geometric, contemporary appeal. Adding to the garage’s modern look, Den Outdoors outfitted each garage floor plan with weather-resistant, floor-to-ceiling windows for owners to show off their cars without fear of the elements getting to them.

Inside each garage, integrated storage units provide ample space around each car for owners to store the same items that typically remain in garages, like holiday decorations and passed-down family furniture. Under the same roof, Den Outdoors incorporated a small workroom into the floor plan with a mini-split for heating and AC so owners can work on their favorite cars even through the changing seasons.

As of now, the downloadable files only comprise floor plans and 3D models for builders to follow when constructing the garage. The Starter Package contains a PDF of the schematics needed to build the garage. The Complete Package comes with the full blueprints, including 3-D models and AutoCAD files. While Den Outdoors suspects the three-car garage will amount to around $212,325 to build, the two-car garage will cost around $145,275.

Designer: Den Outdoors

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This elevated prefab cabin has a buffer zone that helps protect it against harsh climate!

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Think of this cabin as a safehouse for when you are facing harsh weather conditions. Cara R is perched in the Andes Mountains in Southern Chile giving views of the vast parklands and nature reserves. It is the ideal destination to be immersed in nature but the area is also known for its extreme climatic conditions and that is exactly what Cara R’s design aims to guard against – nothing can stand between you and a cozy night at your cabin in the woods!

Felipe Lagos is a Chilean architect of the Santiago–based studio TuCroquis who has previously designed many local homes that take the rapidly changing weather into account. Casa R is an extension of that range, it is a modular holiday cabin residing in the middle of a lush forested site.

On the first floor, there is a woodshed and a chiflonera.” This area between the interiors and exteriors is commonly found in Chilean or Patagonian homes because it helps to regulate the extreme temperature changes that occur in that region. It features a steel frame because stell is both water and fire-resistant!

The 1,033-square-foot cabin also has a buffer zone (locally called chiflonera) which is an area between the interior and the exterior, commonly found in traditional homes there so that it can regular internal temperatures based on the harsh climate.

TuCroquis’ interior designer Ramón Vallejos furnished the cabin with a plywood kitchen, durable furniture from MueblesSur, and washable cushions that can be used both indoors and out. The kitchen area, living/dining spaces and a bathroom are all located on the first floor.

Some of the cabin’s modules have enclosed walls while others are left open for better connection to the outdoors. “The cabin is elevated from the ground and has slopes on the terraces and two floors. The slopes blend with the natural terrain and help reduce costs in foundations. The roof also has a steep slope to protect it from snowfall in the winter,” explains Lagos. The minimal design doesn’t fully express Casa R’s durability but I would love to see it integrate more sustainability or clean energy in its design considering it is all about preserving ecosystems.

Designers:: Felipe Lagos (architecture) and Ramón Vallejos (interior)

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This Japanese A-frame structure looks like a cozy Ghibli movie home got a modern yet minimal makeover!

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Japanese architecture is the epitome of minimalism and warmth, especially when it takes shape as an A-frame cabin. The Japanese culture and lifestyle have many deep-rooted practices about reducing waste, using only what you need, and living with essentials but not necessarily without luxury. All of these elements are seen in Hara House, an A-frame cabin that is all about minimizing your footprint, being efficient, and using as little material as possible. It was designed for a young couple who wanted a new home in a small agricultural village about four hours north of Tokyo that would restore the fading communal connection that they were witnessing.

Hara House is built out of 5-inch square timbers set 6 feet apart. A tent-like white steel rooftop the home mixes private spaces with a semipublic, open-air living and dining area – a stiff, yet giving structure that assimilates all human behaviors. “The estate already contained an assemblage of buildings and farmland that depended on one another. Our design direction was to create a home that revitalized these on-site structures and had the potential to adapt to new functions as the need or mood changed,” explains architect Takayuki Shimada.

The A-frame structure draped over a rectangular interior volume was the solution to create that semi-public space the couple desired. A set of parallel glass doors in the central living/dining room allows air to flow through the home and connect the residents with neighbors passing along the adjacent street. Instead of a traditional self-reliant building, Hara House is a space where workshops, meetings, and events can spill out onto the land and open the home to the village.

Two parallel pitches expose the central living and dining room to the outside air via sliding glass doors. The low openings give the impression of a tent that’s been propped up to reveal what’s going on inside and is reminiscent of older Japanese architecture. An open space on one side of the structure serves as an entrance and an informal gathering spot for the community while the covered, veranda-like spaces on both sides provide shady areas to sit and relax. The heart of Hara House is the large living/dining area that simple radiates warmth!

At one end of the first floor, a small bedroom and a bathroom create a private living area for the family. There is a loft area above that features a cozy workspace. The sleeping zone is on the first floor which has a spacious master bedroom. Interiors feature minimalist shelves for storage and a large pane of glass brightens the space as well as the loft above. Hara House’s high ceiling creates the traditional tent-like vibe, while the raised platform serves as seating as well as additional storage space.

“We started our design by conceptualizing the building as incomplete. The home should invite people from the village to utilize it, thus becoming part of the community. By establishing this type of architecture, with its blank canvas, a space is born that establishes itself as an attraction of interest and activity,” says Shimada. Hara House looks like a house from a Ghibli movie but with a modern makeover that doesn’t strip the magic from a wooden A-frame structure. It is reminiscent of a glowing lantern in the night that welcomes the community into a safe space.

Designer: Takeru Shoji Architects

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This nontraditional A-frame style cabin blends classic and modern design elements for an inspired new look!

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Pisqal is a small, bilevel concept residence envisioned on the beach and inspired by the traditional A-frame cabin, hosting a myriad of classic and contemporary design elements that give Pisqal its distinct, alternative look.

Usually with A-frame cabins, what you see is what you get. From the outside, an A-frame cabin’s general floor plan can be figured out with few surprises. There’s a cozy appeal found in the familiarity and simplicity of A-frame cabins. Borrowing the A-frame cabin’s traditional shape and charming feel, architects Yaser Rashid Shomali and Yasin Rashid Shomali from Shomali Design Studio conceptualized an inventive A-frame cabin called Pisqal that incorporates abstract structural elements, giving the traditional cabin a contemporary twist.

Split evenly between two floors, Pisqal comprises around 70-square-meters in area, forming a cubic frame that backdrops the cabin’s A-frame style eaves. The designers behind Pisqal chose a cubic frame to border the cabin’s A-frame style eaves to create more interior space. Inside the cabin, the Shomali designers gave the home an open-floor layout, with the living areas contained to the first floor and the main bedroom occupying the entire top floor. With such an open-air layout, quirky design elements were incorporated like a ladder that replaced a traditional staircase, bringing residents from the cabin’s ground floor to its loft bedroom.

Envisioned on a beach, even the location of Pisqal challenges the A-frame cabin and brings it into a new light. Following the open feel throughout the house, Shomali Design Studio squared each room off with floor-to-ceiling glass windows that bring guests up close and personal to the outdoor seaside views. Interior design elements like white linen curtains and unfinished wooden walls also help to brighten up each room, collecting pools of natural sunlight that pour in through the glazed windows.

Designer: Shomali Design Studio

This prefab glamping cabin can be flat-packed to provide a cozy oasis when trekking in extreme weather!

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If you are ever lost while trekking in harsh weather in Iceland, then you should pray and hope to find refuge in a glamping oasis like the Skyli Trekking Cabin. Skyli means “shelter” in Icelandic and it can provide shelter to 15 mountaineers at a time. The angular structure features four gabled roofs and resembles a tent but is actually clas in a steel facade to protect you from the weather. The bright blue color makes it easily visible in the rugged landscape while also paying homage to the architecture of the country’s capital. The designers imagine all components being pre-fabricated so that they could be transported flat, winched underneath a helicopter, and constructed in situ – a process Utopia Arkitekter estimates would take between two and three days.

Swedish firm Utopia Arkitekter employed a team of innovative architects that worked with sustainable materials in their buildings. “Skýli is designed for pristine environments where sustainable development is of the highest importance. Materials need to be eco-conscious, while also resistant to extreme weather,” explained Mattias Litström, founder and creative director of Utopia Arkitekter.

The interior is lined with cross-laminated timber and features enough fold-out beds for up to 15 people, water, power, and even emergency supplies. Beneath each peak, large triangular windows take advantage of the surrounding scenery. Its prefabricated design allows for materials to be easily transported by helicopter. Once they’re delivered, the assembly can be completed in as little as a couple of days.

These pitched roofs give the building a tent-like shape. The shape also resembles traditional Icelandic huts, whilst the bright blue is a nod to the colorful architecture of Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. The Skýli trekking cabin features sharp pyramidal shapes, a strong, durable, and stable structure with several practical details. The triangular gables resemble a classic tent, the most basic shelter used by trekkers worldwide.

GreenCoat color-coated steel will be used in the roof because it is currently the most sustainable color-coated steel product on the market, using Swedish rapeseed oil in the coating instead of fossil-based oils. Since Skýli will be built in the mountains or in harsh, cold-weather environments, choosing materials for extreme weather is another important factor. Here, GreenCoat® steel products fulfill the highest demands.

They deliver extreme durability, resistance to corrosion, and long color retention. Furthermore, they provide building specifiers with a significantly lighter material compared to alternative solutions and have a low-temperature elongation to guarantee a clean look without buckling or deformation, for years to come.

In the gap between the steel exterior and the wooden internal walls, the designers have included a space for visitors to wring out wet or muddy clothes, as well as room for a composting toilet. Rainwater running down the sloping roof could be collected in self-draining tanks in the outer shell, providing the cabin with water that could be used for washing, or purified for cooking and drinking.

Solar panels and a battery offer enough power to charge devices and light the interior in good weather. A hand-crank generator would provide a backup on darker days, but would also double as an emergency beacon if occupants needed to call for help. In the case of an emergency, the cabin would be kitted out with basic medical supplies and a stash of food rations, stored under the benches in the dining area.

Both the inner shell and the furniture – designed to fold flat for ease of transportation – would be made from cross-laminated timber (CLT), a high-strength engineered wood. Combined with the lightweight steel shell, it would make the cabin easy to maneuver into position. The CLT and steel would also provide insulation, along with the triple-glazed windows.

A series of plinths would lift the structure off the ground, providing it with a flat and stable base, whilst minimising its impact on the natural terrain. The brilliant blue Skýli color of the roof, which will be made from GreenCoat® color coated steel, from SSAB, represents the Nordic light and ensures that Skýli is visible in the Nordic landscape. It will make the cabin easy to find, while at the same time creating a strong symbol for shelter and safety.

Designer: Utopia Arkitekter