beach cabin.

This project began as an informal discussion on the hedonistic Mediterranean way of life. Then, the possibility of actually building it posed an interesting process. The client is the builder, and timber construction was the only way. Positioned on a hill overlooking the Adriatic Sea, the cabin is reached only by foot. Or rather, one could say that the journey to the Mediterranean condition begins the moment the thought of going to the wooden shelter crosses one’s mind.

There are three main areas. One is the main living room, opening up to the horizon, and the second is the main bedroom, hugging the terrain. The space in between is conceived as an outdoor area where one can smell the pine and salty air, protected by the shelter. Here, the view is framed in two: the sky as a backdrop and the belt of pine, sand, sea, and sky—an ever-changing painting.

The construction consists of basic elements which, when joined together, comprise a complex structure. To level the steep hill, a gabion stone wall makes up for the terrain, also serving as a base for the structure. Elevated 60 cm from the ground, the deck is the platform where the timber frame walls stand. These walls are then insulated and clad with 10x2 cm vertical battens to counterbalance the horizontality of the context.

As Le Corbusier would have said, “It is a chateau of extravagant comfort and gentleness.”

completed
2022