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Cabin for silent meditation

2018 // Bee Breeders Competition
Teammates: Daniel Englund, Jonathan Janik, Robert Skinner
LOCATION
Located on the Ozolini Farm, almost 100km outside of Riga, Latvia, this eco-tourism cabin for lone silent meditation is intended to offer fleeting moments of absolute silence and true peace which have become indulgences few find time for. Meditation can be difficult because people don’t have a place where they may retreat from the constant chaos and bombardment  of daily life  which provokes reaction and induces exhaustion. The farm is already a pristine retreat removed from the aforementioned chaos of urban life. The use of the cabin will assist visitors to the Ozolini Retreat as each user steps away from urban society, the cabin refocuses their attention on nature, and on embracing stillness, silence, and solitude for their meditative benefits.
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PROCESSION
The process of meditation through the cabin occurs in three stages. First, each user who approaches the cabin has taken the journey to the farm and traversed natural terrain on their walk to it. Upon reaching the cabin, the user steps up to encounter a large wood beam embedded in the floor which will lead the user through the entirety of the cabin.

The second stage starts after passing through the large triangular door. The interior of the cabin directs visual attention out on a single view of the forest. The living space is designed to emphasize the calming repetition of its heavy timber members and natural light from the ridge line skylight. Needs like the toilet, food and water storage, and a bed are compacted away into the walls and floor. This makes the space flexible and distraction free.

The third, and final stage in the meditative journey through the cabin, is to accept the “invitation.” The constant presence of the single beam embedded in the floor of the cabin stretches like a diving board back into nature. It serves as a perch on which the users may re-immerse themselves in nature without the sound of leaves crunching or twigs snapping under foot. This moment offers the purest possible experience of what nature sounds like and embodies the idea of eco-tourism as a sustainable process where nature may be enjoyed and used for its meditative attributes but not disturbed.

SUSTAINABILITY
True sustainability is living in a way that can be continued indefinitely and will not affect future generations negatively. To that end, the cabin sits lightly on piles that disturb as little plant life as possible. The cabin could be disassembled and moved leaving only four-square feet of earth disturbed. The wooden frame, made from indigenous timbers, uses traditional Latvian forms held together with pegs and notches instead of metallic or composite fasteners with the hope that, if it were abandoned today, it would decay as gently as possible.
01: The cabin touches the ground through the use of pin piles (diagram detail 1).  This foundation system takes advantage of the soils natural bearing capacity allowing for minimal site disturbance. Each pin pile is made up of a diamond shaped concrete block and four pins. The pins are connected to the block and driven into the ground at an angle, resulting in a tightly anchored system. This foundation can be quickly installed by two workers with hand tools and does not require a significant amount of digging. This system is also maintenance free and easy to remove if needed.
04: Integral to the cabin is a continuous timber beam that transitions visitors through the cabins experiential journey. The visitor enters the cabin by a notched log ladder that culminates in a final step onto the continuous timber beam. Once inside, this same timber runs flush along the floor directing the users focus outward towards nature. The timber extends past the balcony and invites the viewer to fully surround themselves by the sounds, smells, and views of nature.
02: The traditional timber, A-frame form is pre-fabricated and each timber is light enough to be carried onsite. It is constructed using only lap joints fitted together by wooden pegs (diagram detail 2).  By using locally sourced timbers, the cabin will begin mimicking its surrounding forest while telling a story of sustainability to its inhabitants.
05: The focus outward to nature is emphasized through a revolving glass door that is fit to the interior profile of the A-frame. Amber colored skylights at the ridge of the cabin cascade warm filtered light down the timber frames setting the tone for silent meditation.
03: The exterior wall system builds upon the concept of economic and sustainable construction by being assembled from modular, pre-fabricated SIPs (Structurally Insulated Panel). The SIPs are placed over the timber structure and through their construction form an airtight barrier as well as provide bracing for the A-frame. To follow the local roofing tradition, the exterior walls are clad with wood shakes. These shakes are then fire charred as a natural way of preserving the material.  
06: The floor area is made as open as possible for contemplative meditation by locating the functional programmatic elements by the entry and recessing a sleeping pad into the floor cavity.  At night, the floor panel with the sleeping pad can be flipped to reveal a designated sleeping area (diagram detail 3).