Location
Gerês, Portugal
Year
2021
Area
95 m²
Client
Anna & Lars Berg
Status
Completed
Duration
11 months
Design team
Jonas Nørd, Clara Vidal
Photography
Atelier Nørd
(The project)
A small A-frame cabin that makes the surrounding forest feel even larger.
Refúgio Norte is a two-bedroom cabin in the national park of Peneda-Gerês. Its steep roof sheds heavy winter rain and snow, while a single glazed gable frames the forest.
Less, but closer
At under a hundred square metres, every centimetre is considered. Built-in furniture, a wood stove and a sleeping loft make the cabin feel generous despite its size.
Built by hand
All materials were carried the final hundred metres by hand and small tracked barrow. The build crew never needed more than a generator and a chainsaw.
(The brief)
A small, low-impact cabin for two in a national park, built without heavy machinery and able to withstand snow and long rains.
(Our response)
A steep A-frame sheds rain and snow. It sits on screw piles rather than concrete, so the forest floor is barely touched, and a single glazed gable frames the trees.
The glazed gable looks straight into the forest
(Materials)
A quiet palette.
We wanted a cabin that disappeared into the forest. Atelier Nørd gave us one that makes the forest feel even larger.
Anna & Lars Berg, homeowners
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