Reimagining Forest Cabins: The Stairs and The Mushroom
2025 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 20 credits / 30 HE credits
Student thesis
Abstract [en]
This thesis explores the design of two unique forest cabins—Stairs and Mushroom—as part of an expansion to the Treehotel project in Harads, northern Sweden. Unlike traditional treetop cabins, this project seeks to offer new perspectives for exploring the forest by drawing attention to the ground and its interactions with the natural environment.The Stairs Cabin, a 16-meter-long concrete structure embedded into the earth at a 30-degree angle, transforms a sloped form into a livable space using stairs. By integrating movable platforms within the staircase, the design tries to explore one simple question: How do we inhabit a tilted space? The Mushroom Cabin draws inspiration from childhood fairy tales, inviting an exploration from underground. Mimicking the gills of a parasol mushroom, its wooden ribs create a cozy, organic space. This cabin embraces biophilic principles by emphasizing natural forms and materials, creating a magical retreat that reflects humanity's deep connection to nature.Through two contrasting approaches—the sci-fi-inspired Stairs cabin, appearing as an alien object embedded in the forest floor, and the organic Mushroom cabin, deeply rooted in the natural environment—this project not only shifts attention back to the forest ground but also responds thoughtfully to the existing Treehotel series through its placement and interaction with the site. The project explores experiential and unconventional architecture, blending biophilic principles and constructability to reimagine the boundaries of design in harmony with forest.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025.
Series
TRITA-ABE-MBT-257
Keywords [en]
experimental architecture, forest cabin, ecological design, tilted space
National Category
Architecture
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-360252OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-360252DiVA, id: diva2:1939155
Educational program
Master of Science - Architecture
Supervisors
Examiners
2025-02-202025-02-20