Architecture

Tough off-grid cabins offer respite for Norway's hikers

Tough off-grid cabins offer respite for Norway's hikers
The cabins opened in August
The cabins opened in August
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The cabins opened in August
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The cabins opened in August
Electricity for lighting comes from a solar panel array
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Electricity for lighting comes from a solar panel array
Each cabin has impressive panoramic views
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Each cabin has impressive panoramic views
As the cabins are so far from civilization, visitors are trusted to leave money to cover their accommodation when they leave and to clean up after themselves
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As the cabins are so far from civilization, visitors are trusted to leave money to cover their accommodation when they leave and to clean up after themselves
The cabins include a wood-fired sauna
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The cabins include a wood-fired sauna
A nearby lake provides fresh water
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A nearby lake provides fresh water
The interiors are clad in unfinished wood
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The interiors are clad in unfinished wood 
The wash room is located directly above a mountain river
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The wash room is located directly above a mountain river
Inside the sleeping quarters
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Inside the sleeping quarters
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In 2013, the Norwegian Tourism Association hosted an architectural competition seeking hardy self-catering mountain lodges for installation on one of its hiking trails. Koko architects got the nod with its Skåpet Mountain Lodges: a cluster of off-grid cabins that need little maintenance and can keep up to 35 hikers warm and safe even in the harshest conditions.

Located in Soddatjørn, on a hiking trail in Rogaland, the project comprises a main building, sleeping quarters, and bathroom facilities which also include a storage room and sauna.

The cabins combine to a total floorspace of 350 sq m (3,767 sq ft) and are clad in rolled zinc, which Koko architects says will ensure they don't need maintenance for decades, even while being battered by harsh mountainside weather conditions. The interiors are finished in plain wood and each cabin has impressive panoramic views.

The cabins were were built using ready-made prefabricated modules to speed up assembly time on site.

The interiors are clad in unfinished wood
The interiors are clad in unfinished wood 

Owing to their remote location, the Skåpet Mountain Lodges operate off-grid. Water is taken from a nearby lake and heating comes from wood-burning stoves. The sauna is fired with wood too, while two gas stoves are available to heat food. Electricity for lighting comes from a solar panel array.

The cabins operate on a trust system. Visitors are asked to leave money to cover their accommodation and to clean up after themselves, ensuring plenty of food and firewood is left for the next visitors.

Source: Koko architects

View gallery - 9 images
2 comments
2 comments
DXMage
HAHAHA I would expect those places to be stripped bare in a matter of a few days.
TedF
DXMage - You're not from Norway are you? What a shame...