The Epic Retreats "Pop-Up Hotel" has recently launched in Wales, featuring eight award-winning tiny cabins, open to the public for a limited time. We recently took a look at the Arthur's Cave glampsite and here are a few more of our favorite tiny spaces on offer, including the gorgeous SkyHut with a retractable roof for star gazing.
Eacharchitect designed cabin was built with a budget of £11,000 (just overUS$14,000) and is specifically designed for short-stay glamping.Furthermore, the tiny cabins are constructed from locally sourcedWelsh materials; have a footprint smaller than 2.7 m (8.85 ft) wide and5.7 m (18.7 ft) long (excluding awnings and balconies) and comecomplete with a king-sized bed, lounge area, wood-burning fire andbathroom facilities with a shower, basin and compost toilet.
"The unique cabins, complemented by our country's stunning landscape, make for an unbeatable experience and we look forward to welcoming our first guests this summer who will get to see Wales in a completely unique setting," says Epic Retreats Co-founder, Llion Pughe.
SkyHut
WG+Parchitects, in collaboration with Webb Yates Engineers, created theinnovative SkyHut with retractable roof. The tiny cabin is inspiredby ancient Welsh myths and the art of stargazing, thus offering "an observatory to the heavens."
SkyHutfeatures a timber frame structure; birch plywood is used to clad theinterior walls and black corrugated iron clads the exterior. Adoptinga tried and tested mechanism from sailing, the fully retractable roofworks with a simple geared cable system. Occupants simply use thewinch mounted on the wall to wind the roof open, transforming thecabin into a perfect spot to cuddle up next to the fire and enjoysome nighttime star gazing.
"Withthe doors open too, the Sky Hut can be configured as aglamping-observatory," says WG+P architects. "Upon the turnof a crank handle, it quickly closes again forming a cozy retreat forwhen the Gods are angered."
Therest of the 9 sq m (96.87 sq ft) cabin is left quite sparse. Furnishedwith the bare minimum including bedding for two, linen, wood fire andbathroom facilities, the cabin provides a unique glamping experienceunder the stars.
TheAnimated Forest
TheAnimated Forest cabin created by Francis& Arnett architects is a15 sq m (161.5 sq ft) tiny house on wheels. The cabin is built using atimber structure, stained black timber cladding, plywood interior andCor-ten steel roofing with skylights. The exterior materials were chosen toage naturally, allowing the cabin to blend into its landscape overtime. Francis& Arnettadopted digital modeling and fabrication methods to create the uniquecabin in a short amount of time.
The cabin boasts unusual Cor-tensteel skylights, which spike upward out of the dwelling's roof.The skylights fill the interior with natural light while alsoallowing the occupants to enjoy views of the surrounding forest, sky andeven the stars at night. The tiny cabin also features a circular rolling door, which opens the dwellingup to the outdoors. The sleeping quarters are made up of a bespokeleather cushioned bed and padded wall, doubling as a comfy spot tolounge, relax and read a book during the day.
"We wanted to create a memorable space to relax and enjoy the raw aesthetic of nature whilst providing a cosy and comfortable space to relax," says Francis & Arnett. "The exterior is designed to resemble a creature meandering through the landscape."
Dragon'sEye
Dragon'sEye is a 12.5 sq m (34.5 sq ft) tiny cabin built by Welsh architectCarwyn Jones. The dwelling is built with a timber frame, plywoodinterior, orientedstrand board (OSB),stainless steel exterior cladding, scorched Douglas fir wood, cedar,reclaimed slate tiles and sheep's wool for insulation. As its namesuggests the structure is built in the form of a dragon's eye, withstainless steel sheets woven together on the outside of the buildingto resemble dragon scales.
Theinterior features a round revolving bed next to the floorto ceiling glass window, which makes up the "eye" of thedragon. From here guests can snuggle in bed and enjoy the sceneryaround them. The cabin also has a wood fire, a lounge area andwalk-in wet room/shower made from reclaimed slate tiles.
Lessthan 200 bookings are available for the Epic Retreats' season,meaning only a handful of lucky travelers will get the opportunity tospend the night in these cabins. Bookings are available from 5-30June in Southern Snowdonia, followed by 10 July - 11 Sept 2017 inLlŷn Peninsula. Three-night packages start from £795 ($1,020) percouple.
All of the tiny cabins, which received a gold award from Visit Wales, can be viewed in our photo gallery.
Sources: Epic Retreats, WG+P and Francis & Arnett via The Architects' Journal
