Tiny Huts, Cabins and Modular Houses for Remote Living
City living got you down? Take shelter in the countryside in one of these latest designs fit for out-of-the-way living
It’s no secret that cities are becoming increasingly crowded. (Thanks, young adults!) But that’s why on weekends, many people flee the hustle and bustle of urban life in search of wide-open spaces. And it’s a trend in which many designers and architects are taking part, by dreaming up innovative huts, cabins and modular houses that bring just the right amount of modern living to remote countrysides.
The architects took inspiration from old-fashioned live wells, which were where fishermen once stored their catches. The shelters’ five designs include features like bird-watching platforms, space for school classes and lavatories.
Large wood shingles treated in black pigmented wood tar oil cover the exteriors of the cabins, which range in size from about 50 to 270 square feet (5 to 25 square meters).
Some of the shelters are free on a first-come, first-serve basis, but others can be booked in advance online for a fee.
Photos from Lumo Architects and Jesper Balleby
Some of the shelters are free on a first-come, first-serve basis, but others can be booked in advance online for a fee.
Photos from Lumo Architects and Jesper Balleby
Gimme Shelter
Columbian architecture firm Colectivo Creativo Arquitectos created its Vimob modular house with the “notion of creating a shelter in an area difficult to access; a place where building a traditional construction would be limited by transport of materials and labor,” the firm said in a statement.
Columbian architecture firm Colectivo Creativo Arquitectos created its Vimob modular house with the “notion of creating a shelter in an area difficult to access; a place where building a traditional construction would be limited by transport of materials and labor,” the firm said in a statement.
Large sliding doors bring light and views to the lounge area and connect the interior to a front terrace.
Oriented strand board panels clad the walls, while pine covers the ceiling.
Oriented strand board panels clad the walls, while pine covers the ceiling.
The module is developed in the firm’s workshop, dismantled and sent to a construction site, where it is assembled by a four-person crew from Colectivo Creativo in two weeks using minimal tools. “Ease of assembly and dismantling allows you to be at the top of the mountain where you can see the entire landscape or on the beach watching the sunset,” the firm says.
Photos by Felipe Orvi
Photos by Felipe Orvi
Atten-hut!
Tokyo design firm Muji noticed the trend of city dwellers’ leaving town on the weekend in search of more unpopulated areas close to nature, and decided to do something about it. “In the city, people have cleverly embraced compact living, even in rental homes or through renovations,” says Ayuma Takeda, a spokesperson for Muji. “While daily routines dominate the weekdays, people see weekends as an opportunity to be with nature. This is a kind of lifestyle trend that is gaining momentum these days.”
The company recently asked three designers — Jasper Morrison, Naoto Fukasawa and Konstantin Grcic — to develop small huts that could sit in the remote countryside, near a traditional Japanese inn (onsen) or by the ocean.
Muji recently unveiled the huts in a Tokyo Midtown garden during the Tokyo Midtown Design Touch event, which wrapped up in early November 2015.
Fukasawa’s hut, shown here, features a dark wood exterior and corrugated roof.
Tokyo design firm Muji noticed the trend of city dwellers’ leaving town on the weekend in search of more unpopulated areas close to nature, and decided to do something about it. “In the city, people have cleverly embraced compact living, even in rental homes or through renovations,” says Ayuma Takeda, a spokesperson for Muji. “While daily routines dominate the weekdays, people see weekends as an opportunity to be with nature. This is a kind of lifestyle trend that is gaining momentum these days.”
The company recently asked three designers — Jasper Morrison, Naoto Fukasawa and Konstantin Grcic — to develop small huts that could sit in the remote countryside, near a traditional Japanese inn (onsen) or by the ocean.
Muji recently unveiled the huts in a Tokyo Midtown garden during the Tokyo Midtown Design Touch event, which wrapped up in early November 2015.
Fukasawa’s hut, shown here, features a dark wood exterior and corrugated roof.
Inside, warm wood covers the floors, walls and ceiling. Sliding windows bring daylight into the interior, which includes a combined living, kitchen and dining space and a bathroom. A wood-burning stove provides heat on cold days and nights.
“There is a certain charm when you hear the word hut,” Fukasawa said in a statement. “Not quite a holiday house, yet not as simple as going camping. If there is a small hut, there is a feeling that one could slip into nature anytime.”
“There is a certain charm when you hear the word hut,” Fukasawa said in a statement. “Not quite a holiday house, yet not as simple as going camping. If there is a small hut, there is a feeling that one could slip into nature anytime.”
Morrison’s cork-clad hut sits aboveground on a wraparound porch.
Tatami-style flooring covers the floor in the living room, which features a wood-burning stove and sits adjacent to a separate kitchen area.
“Whenever I think about going to the country for the weekend, I start imagining a small house with everything needed for a short stay: a place to cook, a place to eat, a place to wash, and a place to sleep,” Morrison wrote in a statement. “Then I start thinking about finding the right piece of land, not too far from an onsen, maybe near the sea, with a nice, small town somewhere nearby. The dream usually collapses when I think of the complexity of building a new house, but with this project I realized there was the chance to design such a house as a product rather than a one-off. The complexities could be overcome not just for a single situation, but as a solution for anyone who has the same wish for a small place in the country.”
“Whenever I think about going to the country for the weekend, I start imagining a small house with everything needed for a short stay: a place to cook, a place to eat, a place to wash, and a place to sleep,” Morrison wrote in a statement. “Then I start thinking about finding the right piece of land, not too far from an onsen, maybe near the sea, with a nice, small town somewhere nearby. The dream usually collapses when I think of the complexity of building a new house, but with this project I realized there was the chance to design such a house as a product rather than a one-off. The complexities could be overcome not just for a single situation, but as a solution for anyone who has the same wish for a small place in the country.”
Grcic’s aluminum hut takes Japanese building regulations into account, so it doesn’t need local planning permission. It also incorporates lightweight technology and can easily be delivered by trucks. An insulating foam core is sandwiched between an aluminum exterior and a plywood interior.
Prices haven’t been decided yet, but Muji says the huts will go on sale in Japan in 2016.
Photos from Muji
Prices haven’t been decided yet, but Muji says the huts will go on sale in Japan in 2016.
Photos from Muji
Mod Pod
At London’s Grand Designs Live event earlier this year, Scotland design firm Echo Living launched its Wave off-the-grid prefabricated cabin pod, named for its continuous roll of western red cedar on the exterior.
At London’s Grand Designs Live event earlier this year, Scotland design firm Echo Living launched its Wave off-the-grid prefabricated cabin pod, named for its continuous roll of western red cedar on the exterior.
The 130-square-foot (12-square-meter) cabin can be fitted with a double bed, shower, wood-burning stove and compact kitchen. Other separate rooms can be added too. Echo Living builds the units by hand off-site. They arrive complete and are then attached to a prepared concrete slab.
Integrated solar photovoltaic panels supply power for 12-volt LED lighting and outlets. Formica’s Vivix architectural panels clad the sides and front.
Integrated solar photovoltaic panels supply power for 12-volt LED lighting and outlets. Formica’s Vivix architectural panels clad the sides and front.
Nordpan spruce covers the walls, floors and ceiling. Floor-to-ceiling double-glazed windows bring in light, while a solid timber door connects the home to the entry deck.
A wood-burning stove on a slate hearth warms the interior, while gas fuels the kitchen appliances and hot-water heater.
Formica’s ColorCore in the soft green Seed color lines a full-length recessed shelf.
Photos from Echo Living
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Formica’s ColorCore in the soft green Seed color lines a full-length recessed shelf.
Photos from Echo Living
More
Could You Live in a Tiny House?
Houzz TV: Step Inside One Woman’s 140-Square-Foot Dream Home
Life Lessons From 10 Years of Living in 84 Square Feet
Outdoor enthusiasts visiting Denmark’s remote South Fyn Archipelago now have plenty of shelter to look forward to. Lumo Arkitekter designed 50 campsite cabins on 19 spots situated right near beaches and coastlines, perfect jumping-off points for kayakers, anglers, boaters, divers and surfers.