If trolls really did live under bridges, they could do a lot worse than commission Spaniard Fernando Abellanas to build them a new home. The self-taught designer recently installed a novel shelter under an anonymous traffic bridge in Valencia that includes shelving, seating, and even a sleeping space.
Abellanas conceived the project to try and recapture some of the magic children experience when hiding under a table cloth, or inside some other secret den unnoticed by adults. So it's probably best to think of it less as a practical housing idea and more as an art installation.
The whimsical project is a clever example of parasitic architecture and makes use of the existing beams under the bridge as rails. The idea is, a visitor walks up the banked area and enters the plywood-lined metal shelter, then uses an available hand crank to move it along the bridge's underside to where a bench, seat, and some shelving are waiting. Though there are no amenities as such, it's possible to make up a bed on the floor with the available bedding and spend the night.
"My work as a designer consists [of] trying to implement the concerns relating to design, handicrafts and architecture which I come across on a daily basis," explains Abellanas. "I observe, research and develop projects, in a self-taught way, with the only purpose of satisfying my own personal motivation. With the experience I acquired during years of work I collaborate with artists, interior designers and architects offering them design and manufacturing solutions. All this I do under the name of Lebrel."
According to The Spaces, the shelter is the first of a collection of similar projects Abellanas has planned.
Check out the video below to see more of the secret shelter.
Source: Lebrel
