The best retreats on the planet have the capability to make you feel you have been flung down Alice’s proverbial rabbit hole, as though you’ve been sucked into another universe entirely. Now, architect Espen Folgerø has taken this sensation to whole new level, compelling anyone who wishes to take in the incredible views from his Norwegian cabin to crawl through a veritable vortex of curved timber cladding first.
Via Domus
Tubukuba Mountain Hub was designed by Folgerø in collaboration with students from the Bergen School of Architecture, who were tasked with experimenting with timber and aimed to push its material properties to their natural limits. The sculptural elevation is constructed from shavings of pine, leftovers from a local sawmill. They were soaked in hot water to increase their flexibility, before being bent into shape and layered up to form the tubular entrance.
Via Domus
The remaining three elevations are composed of a contrasting charred wood and floor-to-ceiling glazing, while the interior of the cabin was lined with plywood, with integrated furniture forming seating, a raised bed, and an enclosed bathroom. The building is entirely off-grid, with a small wood-burning stove providing much needed heat for those staying over on the remote mountaintop.
Via Domus
The team wanted to create architecture that prioritized the young over adults, so they designed an entrance with shrunken dimensions that would enable children to enter through the tunnel much more easily than fully-grown people. Folgerø’s main aim, though, was to achieve that ‘rabbit hole’ effect: “most importantly it creates a spatial sequence where you enter a tiny hole and come out on the other side to a spectacular view”.
Via Domus
The sculptural qualities of the cabin’s entrance bring to mind the work of Brazilian artist Henrique Oliveira, who recently installed a monstrous tangle of timber roots in a São Paulo gallery.
Via Bored Panda
“Transarquitetonica” was large enough to walk through, and was formed from a patchwork quilt of reclaimed timber in various states of weathering and decay.
Via Bored Panda
The vortex-like appearance of Folgerø’s entrance also echoes the surreal urban artworks of American duo Dan Havel and Dean Ruck.
Via IndieGogo
Their startling project “Inversion” caused quite a stir when it appeared in suburban Houston in 2005: the artists created the funnel-like installation as a final farewell to the condemned property, which was torn down just a few weeks later.
Via Momentos
Looks like someone tried to divide by zero again…
Yours down the rabbit hole,
The Angry Architect
