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Glass-Floored Retreat Embracing Nature Through Locally Sourced Wood

Author:
Simin Paksirat
Glass-Floored Retreat Embracing Nature Through Locally Sourced Wood
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With a distinctive glass floor that connects occupants to the earth below, this retreat utilizes locally sourced wood to create a space that encourages reflection and reconnection with nature.
5 key facts about this project
01
This retreat features a glass floor that encourages a direct connection to the earth below.
02
The design utilizes locally sourced wood to enhance sustainability and community support.
03
Circular windows provide panoramic views while maximizing natural light and ventilation.
04
A rainwater collection system ensures resource management throughout the year.
05
The layout promotes introspection by placing occupants at the center of intersecting environmental planes.

Reconnection Cabin is a design focused on helping occupants feel more connected to nature. It serves as a retreat where visitors can pause and reflect, surrounded by a carefully considered landscape. The design emphasizes three essential elements—sky, nature, and earth—inviting users to engage deeply with their environment.

Integration of Axes

The design uses a vertical arrangement of features that highlights the connections between sky, nature, and earth. Skylights allow natural light to flood the interior, creating a bright and open space. Windows frame views of the landscape outside, letting occupants feel part of their surroundings. This elevation creates a sense of airiness while maintaining a strong connection to the outside world.

Spatial Organization

The layout of Reconnection Cabin is circular, which centers the occupant among the different elements at play. This design encourages a sense of balance and tranquility, helping individuals to ground themselves amid everyday distractions. Careful placement of interior features enhances this meditative quality, making it a suitable environment for rest and contemplation.

Sustainability and Materiality

Sustainability plays a crucial role in the design. Locally sourced wooden materials are used for construction, which reduces the environmental impact. This choice also supports local communities and economies. The inclusion of a rainwater collection system demonstrates a commitment to resource management. The elevated structure is designed to prevent soil erosion, ensuring that the building integrates well with various site conditions.

Design Detail

A notable aspect of Reconnection Cabin is its glass floor, which creates a direct connection to the earth below. This feature enhances the user's experience, encouraging them to engage more intimately with the environment. The glass floor emphasizes the theme of reconnection and invites occupants to reflect on their relationship to nature.

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Competition organisers

The MICROHOME 10 competition invites participants to submit visionary designs for off-grid, modular microhomes that push the limits of sustainable, small-scale living. Organised by Buildner in partnership with Kingspan and Hapi Homes, this tenth edition sets the challenge of designing a dwelling for two people within a maximum floor area of 25 m², encouraging bold solutions adaptable to any urban or rural location. The competition continues Buildner’s mission to foster innovative approaches to compact, energy-efficient housing that can address pressing global challenges.

This year’s edition offers a generous total prize fund of €100,000, including the Kingspan Award for designs that integrate high-performance Kingspan products and the Hapi Homes Award for a project selected for real-world construction. In addition to cash prizes, the winners gain international exposure through Buildner’s media partnerships, publications, and a dedicated MICROHOME magazine, further amplifying their ideas to the wider architectural community.

Key dates for MICROHOME 10 include the closing date for registration on 25 September 2025, the submission deadline on 29 October 2025 (11:59 p.m. London time), and the announcement of winners on 9 December 2025. These milestones ensure participants have clear timelines to develop and present their concepts, with early registration discounts available to support students and emerging designers worldwide.

MICROHOME

Design a new small-scale home concept in the 10th edition of MICROHOME — 100,000 € prize + construction

100,000 € Prize Fund / Kingpsan Edition #10 ideas COMPETITION
Prize 100,000 € + Potential realisation
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 25 September 2025

Open architecture competitions

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Final registration deadline 18 September 2025

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