Detached – A Rooftop Cabin in Greece is a City Retreat

Architects Panos Dragonas and Varvara Christopoulou have created this city-top structure that’s designed to act as an urban retreat in the concrete jungle of today’s cities. The project has been commissioned as part of an exhibition called The Minimum Structure.

Set in Greece, the tiny structure has been dubbed “Detached”, a name that represents its attempt to detach you from the day-to-day life of work, and technology. In fact, it’s the current state of technology, and its widespread usage that prompted Dragonas Christopoulou Architects to place their rooftop cabin in the city.

From the architects: “During the 21st century, there are no remote locations. The planet has been explored and digitally mapped in every latitude and longitude. The media and social networks bring the public sphere in every corner of the world.”

The cabin itself is just 97 square feet (9 square meters) in size, and resembles a backyard shed, albeit with a modern twist. The exterior features wooden slats that provide solar shading and privacy for the front of the building as it’s glazed on all sides (including the roof).

The interior contains a raised sleeping space. The varying levels are used to create a spot for sitting on, and a desk to the front end provides a work, or dining surface. The entire structure is raised off of the building’s roof on a set on four timber posts, creating a sheltered area below.

From the architects: “The indisputable dominance of the urban condition and the exploitation of the countryside, are shifting the quest for new heterotopic structures in the urban area.” Perhaps it’s a viable, and green alternative to building holiday homes, and retreats in unspoilt regions of the countryside.

For more retreats and cabins check out this modern farmstead form Alberta by Bioi. Or, this tiny retreat in Australia by James Galletly. See all retreats.

Via Dezeen
Photos: Dragonas Christopoulou Architects