AMBER ROAD TREKKING CABIN
Overnight Rest Stop Prototype Design
Amber Road Design Competition | Hosted by Buildner
Partner: Nicholas Mostovac
Fall 2017
Baltic Amber holds particular significance to Archaeologists, as its presence outside of its native region is indicative of long distance trade. In a way the natural fossil represents a collective memory shared between the Baltic region and its visitors. Baltic amber thus becomes a symbol of shared origins in a globalized world. A record of where we’ve been.
The structure draws from the large timber framing elements used in traditional Latvian building methods. Views are framed to peer across the topographical layers of the Latvian landscape a hiker experiences along the trail.
Contemporary construction method is employed by the use of cross-laminated timber (C.L.T.) assemblies for the main structural frames. This allows for transportation of less elements to the site and ease of assembly.
- Creating Nostalgia -
Our structure seeks to capture the notion of collective memory by immortalizing the experience of trekking the Amber Road Trail. Each cabin provides hikers with the opportunity to record their presence on the trail by embedding a gifted piece of painted wood into the perforated mirror wall, keeping a piece as memento of their journey.
The cabin’s main space can open up to the natural landscape via a retractable hinge panel for summer ventilation and morning light.
A Low-impact approach
Prefabricated modular assemblies comprised the primary structure & shear wall. This approach allowed for ease of ease of construction, & disassembly for the possibility to relocate along the trail. The lightness & simplicity of these pieces give the design a low carbon footprint; ease of transport through forest terrain, and simple footings with minimal digging allow the cabin to be accepted by varying site slopes & soil conditions.
