Zinc-clad hikers' cabin perches on a cliff edge in the Dolomites

[Celerity]

https://www.dezeen.com/2021/11/25/demogo-zinc-clad-hikers-cabin-italy-dolomites-architecture/



Architecture practice Demogo has perched a small cabin on the dramatic Marmarole mountain range in Northern Italy's Dolomites, with a full-height window that gives the impression of almost falling over the edge of a cliff. With bunk beds to accommodate up to 12 people, Bivouac Fanton was commissioned by Club Alpino Italiano to provide free, emergency shelter for hikers along the Forcella Marmarole pass.







The project replaces a previous shelter that was forced to relocate after years of strong winds, and was then rendered unusable after wear and tear. At 2,600 metres above sea level, the Marmarole is one of the most inaccessible and wild areas of the Dolomites. Treviso-based Demogo designed the 30-square-metre Bivouac to both provide shelter from and celebrate its incredible surroundings.





Accessible only via a challenging five-hour hike from where the Marmarole trails begin, the structure of the cabin had to be airlifted in by helicopter over a construction period of nearly three years, which the practice documented on their Facebook page. "High-altitude architecture takes on an extreme meaning, everything seems to expand in the perception of the extended space" said the practice. "Emotionally opposing instances emerge such as the need to protect oneself and take refuge, and the need to rediscover a human dimension."







The thin form of the cabin, which appears to hang almost perilously off its rocky site, was conceived as a telescope. One end features a small window and the other is fully glazed with a sloping window angled towards the vertiginous drop. "Externally, its formal appearance takes on the features of a rough-hewn volume suspended on a bristling cliff, a waiting body stretched out into the void," described the practice. "Living inside it means placing oneself between the lenses of a telescope, it is the attempt to frame the space, to circumscribe it, making it a work of connection between man and the environment."

[EYESORE 9001]

1. Looks relaxing

[Ocelot II]

2. Nope.

[brush]

5. Agreed. Five hours to get there and then you realize you forgot what you went to get.

[getagrip_already]

3. vanity project... cool, but a waste of resources in a place that should be pristine....

Nobody wants chets diner spoiling the view. except those that stay inside it.

[Celerity]

6. The project replaces a previous shelter that was forced to relocate after years of strong winds, and

was then rendered unusable after wear and tear.

[Historic NY]

4. That last step is a doozy.

Where's the potty?

[2naSalit]

8. I'd be having nightmares...

Even in the day while awake. It looks like it's not really stable.

[Vinca]

9. I'd take one look at that and pitch a tent. Yike! Cabin surfing anyone?