Reconnecting with nature is one of the oldest therapies that exist, the need to feel the environment and to breathe fresh air encourage us to seek refuge among the most natural landscapes. In this search for reconnection, Caspar Schols, designer and architect, created Cabin Anna, which is part of the Anna collection, a modularly developed cabin designed to create a connection between the brain and the natural environment.
In 2019 and 2020, Schols and his team built eight Anna cabins that were tested by some of their clients. Two years later they collected the results and redesigned the project from scratch. They made an approach that was more durable, more sustainable, easier to use, prettier, easier to assemble (and disassemble for portability at any time), and suitable for a wide range of climates. Last summer they installed their first redesigned model in the Dutch nature reserve De Biesbosch.
The cabin is designed by means of two protective casings that can be opened to achieve a total integration with the environment. The inner shell is double-glazed and the outer shell is made of wood. By adjusting the two shells, the cabin changes and adapts to the weather, the mood or the occasion.
In winter, the insulating wooden shell keeps the heat inside, and in spring or autumn, the glass keeps the rain out and lets the sun in to warm the space. During all seasons it is possible to live and sleep under glass or in the open air with the comfort of protective layers. Experiencing the beauty of a fierce downpour under the glass roof, waking up to birdsong in the morning or being mesmerized by the starry sky at night, are some of the experiences offered by staying in these modular houses.
The walls (layers) of the cabin slide manually, using their own strength as a motor to make the change of environment. "We don't offer an electronic opening version of Anna, using your own muscle power is essential," says Schols. The designer links the manual movement of the cabin with an essential connection with nature, “propelled by your body, the cabin prepares the brain to open up and connect with the natural environment”, she adds.
Installation involves minimal ecological disruption, and materials can be separated and reused. The most innovative part is the patented rails with an integrated anti-wind labyrinth. Since materials expand differently in different climates and conditions, the big challenge for the designers was choosing the right combination of moving parts to ensure that the layers always glide smoothly.
The delivery of the first ten cabins of the Anna collection is currently being negotiated, which will be built in Europe in 2023, and the first two are also expected to be sent to the US. At the same time, Schols and his team are working on Anna One, the sister of the collection that is designed so that the same user can assemble it.
Cabin Anna functions as a meditation center, work office, art studio, guest house, home... It has a bathroom attached to the ground, a storable bed, bedroom on the mezzanine, fully equipped kitchen, outdoor shower, finishes luxury bathroom fixtures, high-end faucets and switches, and is hand-delivered and signed by Caspar Schols.
