Caramel Shore
Traveller Rooms

Diagonal is a proposal for a cabin with a reduced footprint to best preserve the landscape. It is a top-heavy form, angled in shape with a narrow base to ‘raise’ the main living area off of the ground. The base is used for various storage considerations including firewood. The clean form is clad in wood stacked vertically to correspond with the site's riverside grasses. The jury writes: “A modern and smart design with an innovative and compact space that gives an amazing experience to visitors. Thanks to its simplicity, this proposal blends and balances with nature. The unique shape of the building frames views towards the landscape and sky. The scheme is delicate - taking into account its surroundings, integrating with the landscape. It creates two different atmospheres: one directly related with the site, and the other more introspective in relation to the sky.” The jury also commented that the project is easy to understand, with images that express well the design intent. The entrance ladder was noted to limit accessibility and that some form of stairs might be taken into consideration for enhanced access.

It Takes a Village is conceived as a collection of cabins with thatched roofs, built and designed using local vernacular practices. The cabins are scattered about the site and its trees. Within the cabin, a stepped form is based around a mass rocket heater - a form of slow-release radiant heating system which uses less wood than a typical wood-burning oven. The thatched roofing is exposed on the interior for a ‘rich material experience.’ The jury writes; “The concept is bold yet sensitive with playful and clever geometry, creating variety and providing different views to the site. A beautiful and modern presentation. It is also a proposal with an unexpected twist - the volumes have elements of vernacular architecture, but the guest experience is exciting and contemporary. The internal space and the use of each zone in plan and section is clever. Material use and local building techniques make the concept naturally sustainable.”  The jury also commended the high-quality renderings and plans.

A series of rooms strings a network of sleeping spaces along a linear volume, connected under the same roof as a single building. The cellular network is punctuated with open terraces that frame views to the landscape and permit some variation in the plan for exterior covered spaces mixed with interior spaces. The individual ‘cabin’ is cleverly designed as two consecutive squares in plan with a primary open circulation axis linked to perimeter niches for sleeping, cooking and writing. In section the roof is kinked to allow for clerestory lighting from above at center. The jury commented: “The plans and sections of this scheme are very well designed and thought through. The materiality is strong and creates a great ambience internally. This is an interesting project as it connects all functions together in a single clear way.”