The Artist’s Cabin is a part of the Wiki World Collaborative Construction Project that aims to build unique natural homes in nature. Located in Jiangxia District, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, this cabin serves as a weekend residence for a well-known nature artist, allowing her to escape the city’s hustle and bustle. The artist desires a home situated in complete wilderness and darkness, with no light pollution or noise, and no paved roads leading to it. While electricity and a fireplace are desired, Wi-Fi is not included in the artist’s vision.
To fulfill these requirements, the cabin was strategically placed on a slope at the end of a gravel road within a dense forest. The wooden cabin features an unfenced courtyard and a fire pit pool, creating a serene environment. The cabin’s linear spatial layout consists of two separate bedrooms, a living room, and a bathroom. The double-slope roof provides protection from the rainy season and sunlight while offering a sense of security amidst nature. Supported by 24 wooden columns, the entire cabin is constructed using laminated timber. Each irregular component and node of the structure is custom-designed and assembled digitally.
The client’s identity as an artist influenced the design of the cabin, considering it as an exhibit in nature. The house is seen as a blue vessel made of wooden assemblies, reflecting the artist’s vision and understanding of life. The entrance side of the cabin is illuminated by round lights and front door lights, while each room has a window facing the forest.
Wiki World embraces the concept of natural architecture, preserving the original forest and farmland trails and textures. The cabin is a prefabricated wooden structure developed in-house, built collaboratively by the team and users. The Artist’s Cabin provides an experience of single living while challenging the notion of space and the relationship between living behavior and the environment. The bright blue wooden hut captivates visitors, immersing them in the tranquility of nature where only the sounds of wind, birds, and insects can be heard. The cabin features a warm fireplace and allows occupants to walk barefoot both indoors and outdoors, emphasizing a connection to the natural surroundings.
The philosophy of Wiki World is to return to a natural life through natural construction. Their Sprite Cabin experiment explores the concept of a small and wild living space, encouraging a closer relationship with the material and an enhanced sensitivity to the environment. Being “small” in size allows for a greater focus on the details and the experience of living. In the forest, occupants can walk barefoot all day, listening to the sound of leaves crunching on the terrace. This experience offers a respite from everyday life, allowing individuals to be a little paranoid and embrace a more natural way of living.
The cabins in Wiki World are constructed like Lego blocks, with a small hut placed in the forest. The unique wild wood construction method involves hand firing the façade with carbonized wood boards. The cabins are interconnected with small metal parts and can be assembled multiple times. The aim is to establish an accurate relationship between the cabin and its natural environment, with each wooden cabin elevated off the ground and without walls or artificial landscaping. Nature itself becomes the best package for the cabin and its inhabitants.