Woodnest Cabin / Helen & Hard

Woodnest Cabin / Helen & Hard - Interior PhotographyWoodnest Cabin / Helen & Hard - Exterior Photography, Wood, StairsWoodnest Cabin / Helen & Hard - Exterior PhotographyWoodnest Cabin / Helen & Hard - Exterior Photography, WoodWoodnest Cabin / Helen & Hard - More Images+ 23

  • Architects: Helen & Hard
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  15
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2020
  • Photographs
    Photographs:Sindre Ellingsen
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  aaneslandfrabrikker, nolimitation
  • Lead Architects: Reinhard Kropf, Dag Strass, Simon Bauman
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Woodnest Cabin / Helen & Hard - Exterior Photography, Wood
© Sindre Ellingsen

Text description provided by the architects. Stemming from the client’s wish to create a unique spatial experience that connects to both the ordinary and extraordinary sensation of climbing and exploring trees, our aim was to create a space that truly embodies what it means to dwell in nature.  

Woodnest Cabin / Helen & Hard - Exterior Photography
© Sindre Ellingsen
Woodnest Cabin / Helen & Hard - Image 22 of 28
Site Plan
Woodnest Cabin / Helen & Hard - Exterior Photography, Wood
© Sindre Ellingsen

There were several challenging aspects of this small project. The most challenging part was the premise we set ourselves. Being able to create a complete cabin only supported by one quite narrow tree, without additional columns or using several trees. Secondly how to create a climatized room around a growing, living tree. Also, a rather unusual building application, governmental approval, and HVAC solutions were challenging.

Woodnest Cabin / Helen & Hard - Exterior Photography, Wood, Stairs
© Sindre Ellingsen

The cabin is constructed around a steel pipe, cut in halves, and then attached together again around the tree with 4 penetrating bolts. This became a rigid "backbone" to build the rest of the cabin from. We use the bridge and two steel wires to fix the tree horizontally so that all the weight only goes vertically down the trunk and no excentric loads. Around the backbone, space is constructed by double plywood ribs in a radial shape which defines the enclosed space.

Woodnest Cabin / Helen & Hard - Interior Photography
© Sindre Ellingsen
Woodnest Cabin / Helen & Hard - Image 25 of 28
Section
Woodnest Cabin / Helen & Hard - Interior Photography, Table, Chair
© Sindre Ellingsen

The depth of the load-bearing ribs becomes the insulating layer around the nest. On the outside, the cabin has a protective skin of shingles of heartwood pine, which weather over time to merge and blend with the natural patina of the surrounding forest. On the inside, the room is covered with panels from black alder which gives the space a refined, warm atmosphere.

Woodnest Cabin / Helen & Hard - Interior Photography, Windows, Table, Chair
© Sindre Ellingsen

The steep forested hillsides around the Hardangerfjord above Odda is the location of two Woodnest treehouses. The architecture is a specific response to the topography and conditions of the site itself. Inextricably crafted from nature, each treehouse is suspended 5-6m above the forest floor and fastened with a steel collar to the individual trunk of a living pine tree.

Woodnest Cabin / Helen & Hard - Exterior Photography, Wood
© Sindre Ellingsen

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Project location

Address:Odda, Ullensvang, Norway

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Woodnest Cabin / Helen & Hard" 08 May 2021. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/953847/woodnest-cabin-helen-and-hard> ISSN 0719-8884

© Sindre Ellingsen

挪威木巢树屋 / Helen & Hard

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