Snøhetta completes pentagonal glue-lam hiking cabins in Norway

After the original Tungestølen Tourist Cabin was destroyed by Cyclone Dagmar, a devastating windstorm that swept over Norway on Christmas 2011, glacier hikers lost a treasured destination. Luster Turlag, a local branch of the Norwegian National Trekking Association, and a small local village, came together to collect funds to rebuild and initiated an international design competition that Snøhetta won back in 2015. Snøhetta's design consists of nine new cabins, each pentagonal in form, made with glue-lam frames, covered in sheets of cross-laminated timber (CLT), and clad in ore pine. The exterior facing walls of the cabins Have a beak-like shape to combat strong winds rising from the valley floor. The main cabin houses a space designed for collective meals around various wooden tables. The highest point of the main cabin measures just under five meters, creating an expansive communal space fit with panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. The remaining cabins contain dorms and a...