Outside-In is a winning proposal by Temporary Office for The Vine Retreat in 2020. It is located in Krong Kaeb Cambodia in a forest setting. Its scale is extrasmall with a surface of 20 sqm. Key material is wood.

The notion behind this hut revolves around the life giving form of nature. Cambodia’s ecotourism has successfully enlightened us on the significance of nature brings to our wellness and environmental biodiversity, but it has also shed light on the ceaseless threat of global warming and natural disaster caused by deforestation. Therefore, unique to The Vine Retreat, the proposed hideout huts will not only preserve but venerate the beauty of nature, offering visitors the opportunity to forge a deeper environmental connection.

Inspired by Cambodia’s traditional Khmer housing, the new retreat hut reinforces the significance of the gable roof with a uniform roof erected around a raised platform for living. The potential of the hut on stilts not only prevents flooding but also threads lightly onto the landscape. Central to the design is the courtyard, unifying all the living spaces around a central tree. Sleeping, mediating, exercising, reading or washing revolves around this central piece of nature.

Now, the commonly known relationship between nature on the ‘outside’ and living on the ‘inside’ is now inverted. The new hideout hut serves as a reminder that all life forms breathes and starts from our care for nature.

2859-YEE-KH-2020 — Posted in 2021 — Explore more projects on cabin and microarchitecture — Climate: continental and humid subtropical — Coordinates: 10.5632118, 104.3578602 — Team: Yee Foo Lai (Vincent), Douglas Lee, Xiaokang Feng — Views: 3.323