new british design creates cornish quarry hideouts

new british design has occupied the coast of north cornwall with four futuristic cabins. designed by the studio’s founder, ben huggins, these unique wilderness cabins — or ‘kudhva’, the cornish term for ‘hideout’ — are the first phase in a wider masterplan for the disused slate quarry that makes up the site. huggins, who worked with long term collaborator louise middleton on the project, hopes to offer the public the chance to experience an off-grid retreat through the experimental type of architecture.

all images courtesy of new british design

boat builder turned furniture maker toby sharp was responsible for building the structures, who, with a small team of master craftsmen in a nearby workshop, assembled and transported each cabin to the site before they were craned onto their cradle bases. above the ground these almost oblique pyramid structures sit on turned pine poles, intended by new british design to offer a unique perspective on the landscape from their elevated position. they are covered in a larch slatted skin and constructed from insulated paged-pine panels with an EPDM rubber membrane covering.

kudhva balcony at night

‘the design had to be a movable structure that was capable of being manufactured off-site and then transported to its intended location as a complete unit,’ explains sharp. ‘this pre-fabricated temporary structure offered a flexibility in its approach with off-site manufacture in the controlled conditions of a workshop ensuring a higher quality product compared to that built out in the open.’

kudhva from approach boardwalk

in a simplistically futuristic design, each structure combines a compact seating area for enjoying the view and an elevated sleeping area accessed via a wall and step ladder. the project is now open to the public with the cabins available to rent whilst the site also hosts a temporary scaffolding reception building offering a canteen as well as toilets and showers. further projects are planed for next spring and talks have already begun with other similarly interested agencies with regard to future collaborations exploring new shelter typologies and other architectural interventions for the quarry site.

interior

‘for as long as I can remember, the fascination with an elevated aspect has drawn me to certain objects from diving boards to the umpire’s chair,’ comments ben on the design of the kudhva. ‘the familiar unfamiliarity of seeing an everyday scene or object from a strange position is the genesis of making it interesting again. much of the spring of 2016 was taken up traversing the site with a tall stepladder in an effort to find a view through and above the trees.’

overlooking the coast

metalwork details

facade details

sleeping deck

kudhva in transit

kudhva installation

kudhva: installation:occupation edit#2
video by ben huggins

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: kieron marchese | designboom