Finnish Island Retreat is Exposed to its Surroundings

Continuing with yesterday’s theme of retreats, this prefabricated ‘shed’ acts as a summer getaway on a Finnish island.

Created by Helsinki-based architect Ville Hara (of Avanto Architects), and designer Linda Bergroth, the getaway serves two main functions. It acts as a shed/storage space for gardening equipment and other items, and a sleeping cabin.

The shed-meets-cabin is a modular structure which can be replicated and extended according to your needs. It can also be assembled with little more than a screwdriver. The black structure makes one think it’s made of steel, but upon closer inspection it’s evident that it’s actually a wood-frame structure.

Bergroth was inspired by the nomadic yurt-dwellers, and wanted to recreate a similar indoor-yet-outdoor experience. The connection between the interior and exterior is achieved through the all-glass walls and roof. The greenhouse-like cabin is visually exposed to the surroundings, while maintaining a degree of comfort and shelter.

It took two years of collaboration to develop the design from an initial concept into a reality. The compact, expandable unit is now available for purchase from the outdoor brand Kekkilä. For some, sleeping in such an exposed shelter would make for a rather unnerving experience, but for Bergroth it “beat any five-star hotel or chateau… Nothing has ever felt as luxurious.”

Could you handle a night in this glass-walled cabin?

For more retreats check out the quirky Schlafen im Weinfass (Sleeping in Wine Barrels), or the sustainable swap huts by Moshow Lin Architects. See all retreats.

Via Dwell