AMBER ROAD TREKKING CABINS COMPETITION

Freedom to travel and explore is the essence of trekking. Freedom is an important human right and one that many have fought to gain. But the Baltic states have demonstrated to the world that nonviolence is an effective tool in fighting for one’s rights:  holding hands, being one, as one strong chain.

Concept Idea

Designers valuing connections to the outdoors have crafted a series of cabins along the Amber Road trekking path snaking the Baltic Sea that are striking in their simplicity and defer to the tremendous natural beauty of their surroundings. Our cabins overtly express their Latvian location by referencing the Baltic Way (aka Baltic Chain and Chain of Freedom) via a red-white-red design on the skin. These modest structures are positioned so that the trekking path literally dissects the cabins and allows trekkers to be connected to one another and the landscape when the breezeway “arms” are open and extended. The cabins’ interior design pays homage to the sites’ shiny specimens of amber that wash up on the beaches in the use of amber stain on the uniquely shaped furniture elements.

Functionality

Our design accommodates the challenges of building on remote sites and allows the cabins to be optionally prefabricated off-site in modules and set on pile supports on-site. The design employs simple and traditional gable roof form broken into individual elements that include a front porch, a social module providing communal space around a wood-burning stove, a breezeway that can be secured during inclement weather and the off-season by pulling up the drawbridge ramps, a sleeping cabin with efficient bunk beds, and a rear deck for a basic toilet and shower area. Sleeping and social modules can be locked separately, but the breezeway, as a part of the trail, is accessible to everyone, providing basic shelter when needed. Our design offers an array of ventilation openings that will facilitate natural heating and cooling to accommodate the environmental conditions of the moment. Rainwater is captured via concealed gutters and downspouts integrated into the rain screen where it can be harvested for shower and water closet usage.

Construction

Reflecting Latvian vernacular architecture, the construction is almost entirely wood (framing, finished planks, pocket doors, and sheet products) augmented with a single glass window in the communal space that can be shuttered, with insulation and waterproofing membrane behind the wood slat rainscreen facade and roof covering. The cabins will leave a light footprint on the landscape both visually and environmentally. The restraint and taste of the Amber Road trekking cabins are crucial amenities encouraging visitors to engage with the natural beauty of Latvia’s coast and experience the rejuvenation and enlightenment that comes when immersed in the landscape with flora and fauna.