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Architects: Studio ACTE
- Area: 13 m²
- Year: 2021
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Photographs:Rubén Dario Kleimeer
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Manufacturers: BC materials, Burmaan
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Lead Architect: Estelle Barriol
Text description provided by the architects. This cabin is an experimental and craft made project. Built as a temporary object, the design aims to be unbuild and recycle again. Therefore each material was already re-used, harvest in the local area and is attached in a dry and harmless way. The cabin arises in the heart of a wild garden in Rotterdam, each element and detail are visible from inside and outside, offering a permanent dialogue with the garden. The door is lifted from the ground and attached to the transparent cube.The rammed earth base is a wall and a floor, mixing functions, emphasising its archetypal form. The aluminum roof floats and reveals the timber structure and the transparency of the facade. The architecture dialogues between mass, transparency, time and durability.
The design has been following a clear process always involving hands-on detailing, from maquette towards the final built object. During the construction every detail as been designed by building a moke-up and re adapting the design with the second hand materials available. The design has been thought as a flexible structure where all material could fit in, using always the same wooden section. The neutrality of the facade allows a dialogue between nature and architecture. The aesthetic of the rammed earth base emphasises the contrast between natural and artificial materials. The acrylate can be perceived as glass, reflecting the colour of the sky or showing the continuity of the structure from outside to inside. As an ensemble, this temporary object highlights the potential of circular and re-used materials.
Built with recycled earth from Bruxelles ( Kastar ) the walls support the entire structure. This raw material can be anytime re-used to build a new wall or to grow plants in a garden. The cement bricks and the grind comes from local gardens. The wooden floor and celling have been made from an old sport hall flooring. The acrylate comes from a chicken farm. The entrance is made of re-used rare plywood. All those materials have been cleaned, sanded or polished revealing their qualities and values. This cabin has been self built allowing on-site detailing.
The cabin express that circularity can be a real aesthetic. It demonstrates the qualities and craftsmanship of a rammed earth construction as much as re-used wood. Second-hand materials are being upgraded providing more qualities than in their first use. The temporary character of the cabin is invisible while the object can easily be removed and rebuilt somewhere else. It is the first time that rammed earth is been used in Rotterdam, an opportunity to demonstrate its quality and aesthetic.
The pavilion takes position in an industrial context and is directly exposed to the see climate. The rammed earth wall will erode over the time and will highlight the monolithic character of the base. The furnitures are especially designed for the pavilion and use the same wooden section than the timber structure of the cabin. The cabin can be used as a pavilion, a sleeping cabin, a retreat space or a winter garden. Designed as a generous volume, the architecture guaranties a comfortable climate. The height offers a fantastic felling and emphasises the dialogue with the garden. Curtains offer intimacy to the visitor. The facade dialogues with the daylight showing a changing atmosphere along the day. The earth base and the elevated floor offer a dry and fresh climate in every season.
