Cabin

superrkül dubbed this project the Stealth Cabin because it's hidden in the landscape and will continue to recede in view over time. Photo by Shai Gil.

The House for a Musher is all about taking advantage of its hilltop site. The courtyard in the front has vast views and the house itself is oriented toward the surrounding landscape.

"We did our best to tuck the buildings into the site—the goal was to get up high on a perch. It was a matter of setting that elevation and working back down with the topography," says architectural designer Riley Pratt.

The home’s east-west orientation picks up sunlight twice a day and makes the house blend seamlessly into the wooded background.

Four brothers own this apartment located within a larger building and use it for family vacations as well as a rental. The clients were familiar with H2O's work (namely the Front and Back Apartment and Chatou) and enlisted the Paris-based firm to refurbish the space. The original apartment consisted of five cramped rooms squeezed into 592 square feet. The clients wanted to maximize the living space, add storage, make the most of views of the surrounding mountainous terrain, and fit in eight beds and two bathrooms.

Large sliding glass doors allow daylight to fill the living room. Smaller windows are placed in the kitchen area and the sleeping loft. The exterior is clad in heart pine which needs very little up-keep and is known for its strength and hardness.

The house is divided into three sections connected by a series of outdoor galleries. “When I walk from one room to another, I have to go outdoors and feel the weather and nature—rain, cold, and sun,” says Sævik. Instead of emphasizing the expansive panorama of oak, pine, and aspen trees, the house frames select views—a move inspired by Japanese design.

Norwegian architect Marianne Borge.

A section of the roof reaches over a rock outcropping—a detail that visually connects the house to the landscape and offers a handy way to climb up to the roof deck without using a ladder.

“We talked a lot about the idea of being on a campsite. Everything is very functional; everything can be made into something else.”—Karen Stonely, architect

When they are eventually integrated into the parks, the cabins are meant to stand in groups of ten to 15.

Estate Bungalow in Matugama, Sri Lanka, by Narein Perera as published in Cabins (Taschen, 2014).

“They wanted the new cabin to make a ‘L’ shape with the older cabin, but I convinced them to mimic the old cabin on the opposite side,” architect D’Arcy Jones says. “So the new site has two buildings across from each other, like an equal sign.” Birch trees grow between the cabins in a shared courtyard.