TRIAS' slate cabin fits perfect in the welsh highlands

TRIAS architects’ ‘slate cabin’ is a writer’s retreat set in a lush green valley, ringed by windswept hills and grazing pastures located in mid wales and inspired by the very bedrock of wales – its slate. the site has a unique landscape, scattered with stone-strewn mountains, abandoned quarries, and old slate homes. these qualities have encouraged the architects to base the design around this local and historically significant material.

the interior space is characterized by a long slot window, which frames a panorama of the landscape

the australian based studio TRIAS has envisioned ‘slate cabin’ as a visual infrastructure for cataloguing welsh slate. the exterior of the cabin is covered in local stone, which is fixed to the oversized shingles. these recycled slate tiles were reclaimed from nearby farms, and are mottled and pockmarked with weather and time. they result in a building that is at home in the hills, with a rugged and rustic appearance. in essence, the building is a simple, rectangular volume. the exterior is dark and muted, with a contrasting interior that is honeyed and warm.

a built-in seat and dining table form a cozy dining space

the spatial organization is simple, with a single room for essential activities — sleeping, cooking, resting and relaxing — and a bathroom tucked behind. the main room is designed as a crafted piece of woodwork. subtle shifts and steps are used to differentiate between functions, creating rooms within a larger volume. the bed sits up on a raised platform, and pulls back to provide space for a seat and desk. the bed head, meanwhile, wraps around to house a built in seat and table. this acts as a cozy place to share meals, which can be cooked on a small wood-burning stove. elsewhere, storage and shelves are artfully integrated. stairs to the bed platform become a space to store books and shoes, while a shelf above the bathroom acts as a slot for hiking packs.

the bed platform pulls back at one end, providing a space to sit, read, and write

all services are self-contained, which means that the cabin operates off-the-grid. throughout the cabin, openings are carefully considered to capture small vignettes. along one wall, a slot window frames a long and panoramic landscape of mountains and fields. meanwhile, a continuous lantern of high windows bathe the space in natural light. glancing up to these windows, glimpses of distant hills and swaying branches are revealed.

a lantern of high windows disperse natural light throughout the interior

to create a serene experience, ‘slate cabin’ is built of as few materials as possible. soft, gentle textures intentionally contrast the stark stone exterior. almost all of the surfaces are lined in birch plywood, which softly diffuses the light. the ceilings are draped in a woven hessian, a playful reference to the rural context. the architectural approach explores the tension between permanence and impermanence, the efficient act of prefabrication and the slow beauty lent by natural materials. the building bears the traces of time and is designed to blend in to its rural setting.

the kitchenette is lined in birch plywood, containing a ceramic sink and burnished fittings

a small wood-burning stove heats the cabin, providing a place for cooking meals

storage is integrated throughout the cabin, with the steps to the bed platform acting as a place to store books

a high shelf above the bathroom door becomes a place for stashing hiking packs

floor plan

exploded axonometric

design model

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edited by: apostolos costarangos | designboom