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Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Sleep Inside a "Boulder" in the Swiss Alps

Bureau A, a studio in Geneva, Switzerland, created what looks like a boulder on the outside, but is actually a cabin with just enough living space for one. Named "Antoine," the structure, designed to blend in perfectly with the Swiss Alps where it is now placed, is a nod to the Swiss idea of observing the Alps from hidden places within them, according to the design studio. Their site explains,
"The mountains have the power to call for feelings of fascination and fear at the same time. Switzerland has a strong tradition of observing the Alps, living with them, hiding inside them. The awe and the anxiety that this monumental landscape appeals is reflected in the writings of Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz, one of the most important Swiss writers. His novel, Derborence, describes the massive rock fall that covered the pastures of the valley of Lizerne in 1714. Antoine, the main character, survives seven weeks under the rocks before he manages to reach his village, and life.

ANTOINE is a tribute to the alpine experience and to the writer. The small wooden cabin, big enough for the life of one man, is hidden inside a projected concrete rock. Referring to the long lasting Swiss tradition of hidden bunkers, the project integrates the highly urbanized landscape of the Alps. Already described by the French philosopher Paul Virilio in 1975, military architecture conducted by principles of camouflage has, for long, fascinated the architects."
The cabin contains a fireplace, bed, table, stool and window. According to Bureau A, any inhabitant of the cabin accepts the risk of the shelter being situated in an area where it's susceptible to rock falls. Not only is it fit for a Thoreau, but a daredevil Thoreau!

Read more about the cabin and see pictures of the inside at the Bureau A website.

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