Inside, the knotty timber has been left exposed on walls, floors and ceilings. Flaps fold down from the walls to create seating, a table and a bed, so that one person can stay comfortably inside. «The mountains have the power to call for feelings of fascination and fear at the same time,» said the architects. «Switzerland has a strong tradition of observing the Alps, living with them, hiding inside them.»
The shelter comprises a simple wooden cabin, encased within a concrete shell with the form of a huge rock. Photography is by Dylan Perrenoud. «It contains the very basic architectural elements – fireplace, bed, table, stool, window – but demands to the visitor some risk taking, as the rock hangs literally on the rock fall field,» they added. «Antoine creates an Alpine shelter, a precarious ‘Existenzminimum’ somewhat subversive in its use where one can freely enter and hide,» said the architects, whose past projects include a pavilion made from recycled windows and a performance space on a tricycle. Swiss studio Bureau A has concealed a wooden cabin inside an artificial rock and transported it to a remote site in the Swiss Alps. Floor plan – click for larger imageSection one – click for larger imageSection two – click for larger image The structure is named Antoine after him. It was built by hand in a mountain village and transported to the site of the back of a lorry.
