Nestled in a remote part of the Swiss Alps is an unsuspecting boulder, one of many just like it in the region, but inside…
it’s hiding quite an incredible secret.
Leopold Banchini and Daniel Zamarbide of Swiss architecture studio, Bureau A, built this tiny cabin inside the shell of this artificial concrete boulder! Featuring a small doorway and a pair of little windows, the tiny home was designed and created at their studio before being transported to the Alps, where curious passerby’s can inspect and even stay inside of it if they so choose.
The mountain hideaway pays tribute not only to the Alps, but to the central character in the Swiss novel, Derborence, written by Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz. In the novel, a shepherd named Antoine endures a landslide and becomes trapped amongst rocks for seven weeks. Antoine manages not only to survive, but to find his way back home, and Leopold and Daniel named the tiny boulder cabin after him.
“The mountains have the power to call for feelings of fascination and fear at the same time,” the architects told Dezeen Magazine. “Switzerland has a strong tradition of observing the Alps, living with them, hiding inside them.”
It’s pretty incredible to see how the Tiny Home Movement has taken over not just the U.S., but the world!
Inside is a bright and cozy cabin made of timber within the walls of the concrete boulder.
Flaps fold down to reveal a place to lay down, a table, and seating.
There’s even a small stove built in so visitors can keep warm.
“From the traces left in the cabin, it has been used quite a lot!” Leopold told The Huffington Post. “The cabin is placed quite high up in the mountain and sleeping up there is a unique experience. The view from the small window is impressive and staying in this minimal wooden box in the middle the nature is almost a monastic experience.”
