Oslo-based architecture firm SPINN Architects has completed a new wooden cabin that can fit in any local terrain and could withstand the harsh polar winter conditions of the area. The 15-square-metre cabin will provide hikers with a warm and inviting rest stop, and be an attraction in itself with its rounded shape. 

Called Dagsturhytter, the cabin was designed for the Hammerfest chapter of The Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT) as one of the two warming huts requested to promote hiking activities in the mountains around town. 

To create a warming hut, the architects were inspired by the idea of the hut concept "Varden". The idea was to create a unique hut for Hammerfest and Omegn Turlag, which is inspired by the beautiful nature of Hammerfest. 

The cabins designed by SPINN at Storefjell and Tyven are perfectly fitted into the terrain, like a large stone with a rounded and weather-beaten external shape. The interior space is warm, enclosed and completed with wooden tables and seats. Hikers can warm themselves by the fireplace and enjoy the view protected from the weather.

The architects designed a rounded shape for the cabins that naturally stays clear in snow and reduces wind pressure, and with a material efficient way to build. 

The shapes are adapted to the terrain based on a 3D laser scanning of the area, and it is made for doors and windows based on wind direction, views and availability. 

Massive wood is visible on the inside of the cabin, while the outside is covered by roofing paper and an external screen of wood panels treated with flames based on the Japanese sho-shugi method.

SPINN Architects collaborated with Format Engineers to build these cabins. The structures are designed as a refuge place for weary hikers and a summer tourist destination. 

The first hut has been fabricated from solid timber panels on a computer controlled 5 axis router and held together with screwed dowel connections to allow for a simple construction without having to use expensive plant and to allow Hammerfest go Omegn Turlaf to build it themselves in a warehouse in the city and then transport it to site in one piece.

The pattern of the simple flat solid timber elements is created using in-house scripts and panelisation techniques we pioneered on the Trada pavilion in 2012. This allows six sided flat panels to follow a double curved surface and keeps the number of expensive connections to a minimum. 

The shape of the structure was deliberately chosen to try and funnel snow away from the entrance and to maximise structural efficiency. The first mountain hut was completed in Summer 2018 and the second was planned for Spring 2019.

Image courtesy of SPINN Architects

Image courtesy of SPINN Architects

Image courtesy of SPINN Architects

All images © Tor Even Mathisen, unless otherwise stated.

All drawings courtesy of SPINN Architects

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