clusters of playful lodges revive wuhan's abandoned forest for wiki world's natural campsite

Wiki World • Secrets Natural Camp uplifts metasequoia forest

On the outskirts of Wuhan, China, the Wiki World • Secrets Natural Camp sits as part of the region’s rural revitalization plan, presenting a primitive metasequoia forest dotted with a variety of natural courses, a service center, a public rest pavilion, eight cabins and several camping sites. Designed by China-based studio Wiki World, the project revives an abandoned forest land on the edge of the city to mark a playful return to natural life through a series of co-construction.

Building naturally and sustainably, the team preserved all of the site’s existing diverse vegetation, using just gravel to pave the field and path without hardening, and shaped the structures from light wood that sit delicately amid the dense landscape. Throughout the campsite, the architects also position clusters of their Sprite Cabins.

all images courtesy of Wiki World

playful structures encapsulate wonders of the forest

Rooting the Wiki World • Secrets Natural Camp in its natural environment, the team at Wiki World drew inspiration for the design conception from the site’s mysterious nature and dense build-up, and the countless bird nests on the trees. The concept seeks to ‘humbly let the site rejuvenate’, and centers on fostering a precise relationship between the cabins and the environment in nature. Across the camp’s 30 acre area, each wooden cabin is elevated above the ground, and no walls or artificial landscapes are used.

Likening the wooden cabins to the sprouting fruits of seeds from the ground, the designers devised the structures to further encapsulate the underlying mystical forces of nature and uncover the spirit of the forest. Further, the structures are marked with playful eye illustrations that embrace the spirit of curiosity and childhood fantasy and encourage exploration and interaction with not only one another, but the wonders of nature. ‘This gave us a sense of intimacy, even if we were alone, as if we had friends with us, this gave us a sense of inexplicable security, even if the night was cold as water, we could look at each other and wait,’ notes Mu Wei of Wiki World.

project info:

name: Wiki World • Secrets Natural Camp

architecture: Wiki World

design team: Mu Wei, Wu Baorong, Feng Zhaoxian, Li Jiaqi, Tao Liwen

location: Wuhan, China

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edited by: ravail khan | designboom