Naturpfad, Austria
Designers Markus Hoermanseder and Philipp Huettl of LibertyDotHome GmbH have developed the Midnight Sky Chalet—environmentally friendly housing for sustainable tourism for the IKUNA Nature Resort.
The 15-meter high chalets are completely built from wood, standing on an earth screw foundation located in a lovely forest clearing.
The designers’ passion is working with wood, making nature the perfect template from which to draw their inspiration.
The Midnight Sky Chalets take inspiration from the image of a wooden log that has fallen from the sky, or, a tree as a multi-layered structure.
For its inspired design, Liberty.Home Midnight Sky Chalet has recently been awarded both a Good Design Award and a 2022 Green Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The Liberty.Home Midnight Sky chalet has a triangular shape, 4 floors, and offers a unique experience for guests of the IKUNA Nature Resort.
On the first floor, in addition to the kitchen and spacious seating area, there is a large terrace under green roofing.
On the second floor, the bathroom area is located in the center of the triangular building shell.
The open staircase construction means that the spatial concept can also be experienced in the interior.
The third floor is an open level, which is called the “nest in the tree” and is the perfect level for children to stay.
On the top floor—in the treetop—the general sleeping area is located in an impressive ambiance.
The characteristic glass roof, with the prefabricated roof truss construction, gives the chalet its name and invites its occupant to reach for the stars.
Furthermore, these chalets stand on earth screw foundations, which are anchored three and a half meters deep in the ground
15 earth screws per chalet provide the necessary static stability.
The architecture of the Chalets can be best described as having a purist, nature-based simplicity.
The shape of the structure was derived from a wooden log, resulting in the triangular shape and the tower-like spatial concept.
By placing the shafts in the tips of the triangle basic shape, the dead areas that a triangular shape entails were reduced.
Some technical details, such as the roof drainage, were solved without changing the outer shape of the triangular tower.
Besides the unique form of the chalet, it is above all the holistic approach and the focus on the impact model of the building.
The designer’s paradigm shift in construction considers not only the responsibility of the actors in the construction but supports the further-reaching considerations in terms of overall impact: on the guests, the region, the environment, and society.
Project: Liberty.Home Midnight Sky Chalet
Architects: LibertyDotHome GmbH.
Design Team: Markus Hoermanseder and Philipp Huettl
Client: IKUNA Naturresort
Photographers: Kajetan Zauner
