What is it that makes a space memorable? Why does a scaled-down Ferris wheel that bears semblance to play rides from our childhood often manage to induce a sense of joy even as giant roller coasters with novel and complicated routes fail to rouse up the same delight? What connection do we bear with monuments and relics from the past, from times that we seldom accurately know about or bear any intimate association with?

The quality of rootedness is arguably a natural attribute amongst all sentient beings. Tracing a connection between oneself and one’s larger memories, discovering one’s heritage and ancestors, or even witnessing historic relics to stand in awe of the skills and expertise that humans have showcased or the centuries of evolution that our lands have experienced—these are all experiences that root us in this world, within our communities and help develop a deep sense of safety and honour by familiarity and association, respectively. Hence, appending nostalgia in design via aesthetics or narrative is a brilliant way to connect with the audience. However, it is also essential to design in ways that can offer space for deeper introspection, exploration and both solitary and communal activities for the possibility of rendering such terrains the epithet of a third space for people and by extension, making such spaces memorable. At a time when cognizant architectural practices are an oft-talked subject, it is imperative to note that establishing such deep connections, both with our material and natural heritage, can resultantly drive the way for processes that are more mindful of our surroundings.

The ongoing edition of Festival des Cabanes in Villa Medici, in Rome, Italy, exemplifies the aforementioned iterations, via six temporary wooden architectural installations. On view from May 29 - September 29, 2024, the third edition of the architecture festival has transformed the historical gardens of Villa Medici into a site for experimentation and infrastructural developments that derive inspiration from historically relevant architecture and ideas. From the Roman forum and the studiolo within Italian palazzos to Tempietto del Bramante and street book stalls from Paris, the inspirations behind the large-scale installations are disparate and pull back visitors to discover relics and narratives from and of the past. Additionally, innovations within the Roman gardens also offer space for communal meetings, solitary visits, reading and daydreaming. The four-month-long event, adorned with temporary installations, paves the way for structural innovation, too, such that each sculptural installation is non-invasive, easily dismantlable and leaves no marks behind.

“How can we create non-invasive architectural forms? What about sustainable housing solutions for tomorrow?” the press release queries. In response to this callout, six architectural practices conceived the temporary cabin designs. STIR scans through each of these showcases.

Forum des vestiges by pratique architecture & fanum architecture

Forum des vestiges is conceived by pratique architecture, composed of architects Gautier Baufils, Gaspard Journet and Vincent Miquelestorena alongside Morgan Baufils of fanum architecture. Made out of Mediterranean pine and adorned with white fabric, the structure is evocative of the Roman forum, albeit with a contemporary and dramatic twist. With its central space reserved for formal seating, the installation invites visitors to come, sit, interact, introspect and debate. Further, the solitary seats dotting nooks and corners of the installation offer space for solitude and private gatherings.

Enunciating upon the process, the designers share, “The project is structured on a peristyle of columns on which a large volume is embedded at the top that creates a kind of temple that makes the idea of the forum.” Positioned in one of Villa Medici’s gardens, which is already home to architectural remains, Forum des vestiges, unlike the ancient pillars placed nearby, is ephemeral. The idea of the Roman forum, amid a verdant expanse, presents the possibility of indulging in philosophical introspection.

Studiolo by CAMPO and Diploma 20 Architectural Association

Studiolo is a fir and Swedish pine cabin architecture conceived by CAMPO and Diploma 20 Architectural Association (AA). While CAMPO is an independent platform created by Gianfranco Bombaci, Matteo Costanzo, Luca Galofaro and Davide Sacconi to study and celebrate architecture, the Diploma 20 unit at AA in London is run by the architectural studio to explore disparate ways to perceive and construct the world around us.

Studiolo, a public installation jointly conceived by the studio and the students, is the recreation of the traditional studiolo. “In 15th and 16th-century Italian palazzos, the studiolo was a small room used as a study by the owner who could retire there for a while; a private, personal space far away from public duties,” reads an excerpt from the project description. This recent rendition of Studiolo is, however, a subversion of this archetype - building the cabin as a space for communal meetings and freely navigable terrain. Although the shell-like structure is prominently tangible and visually separates the inside from the outside, especially when externally viewed, the relationship transforms once one enters the structure. With an open-to-air skylight, exposed floor, ample openings and slits between the narrow wooden strips that come together to make the structure, the cabin is well connected to the outside and lights up like a lantern during evenings.

La Cahutte by Huttopia

La Cahutte, conceived by French designers Camille Blanc and Philippe Bossanne of Huttopia, is a hut-like elevated cabin made out of douglas fir, larch, canvas and metal. Initially designed in 2010, the structure, defined by wooden stilts and wood walls and a canvas covering, has been readapted for Villa Medici this year. Perched up on stilts at a height of two metres, the structure offers a shaded open-to-air experience when standing on its terrace and the indoor space a habitat to spend the night amid nature. “The hut is supposed to represent a domestic environment, a home that is at the same time a secret and private place, a place of personal experience and encounters, but also a shelter where one can sleep, which is visible in the upper part where the canvas is placed and which is conceived as a place to hide and protect oneself from the wind and the weather, as well as to watch the moon and the sun,” Blanc shares.

Il Tempietto by ane architecture and Atelier Tras

ane architecture, an architectural practice based in Pantin, France, headed by Laura Cherubin and Gaspard Clozel, collaborated with Naïs Campedel of Atelier Tras to design and make Il Tempietto for the Roman architectural event. The structure made out of Douglas fir and woven polyester, is placed in one of the rectangles of the Villa Medici garden. Il Tempietto is inspired by the form of the 16th century Renaissance structure Tempietto del Bramante, located in San Pietro in the Montorio convent, which currently serves as the headquarters for the Spanish Academy. “Villa Medici’s building and gardens belong to the Renaissance and it is in the culture of this era that we tried to insert our project,” Clozel shares.

The design of the wooden structure emulates the proportions and elements of Tempietto. From the structure's base and the circular peristyle detail to its interior expanse and the cupola, one can find several pared-down references in ane architecture’s material rendition. “Putting the assemblages (of canvas slits) together creates a new ornamental design that is applied to the voids within the hut. Elements that, looking up toward the dome, suggest an illusion created by a starry ceiling that is similarly visible in Bramante’s original tempietto,” French architect Naïs Campedel shares. Although inspired by classical architecture, Il Tempietto, conceived in lighter materials, adheres to the idea of a cabin, albeit with ornamental insertions. The usage of fabric softens the appearance of the cabin during the day and transmits light at night.

Cabane 7L and Librairie x Villa Medici by Manuel Bouzas

Boston-based Spanish architect, researcher and educator Manuel Bouzas’ work is displayed in two areas within Villa Medici: a cabin and reading nook in the garden and a shelving unit at the entrance hall of the estate. The former, the Cabane 7L, is an outdoor observatory made of spruce wood. It comprises a linear staircase design that leads up to an elevated reading room. The staircase facilitates vertical circulation and braces the whole system, keeping it structurally balanced. This elevated room, placed at par with the tree canopies, offers a panoramic view of the surrounding area and a space to sit and read in solitude.

The indoor structure, on the other hand, developed in collaboration with Libraire 7L, comprises a shelf installation wherein a selection of books beckon visitors. “We were inspired by the bookshelves which used to be occupying the river banks of the Seine river in Paris and the idea of a cover that opens and closes was what inspired us to design these furniture pieces,” Bouzas explains.

Fleximob by LAMÉCOL

Fleximob, perhaps the most simplistic cabin architecture amongst the six installations in Villa Medici, is a modular design by French manufacturer and construction company LAMÉCOL. It is a folding cabin, making it easy to store, transport and set up in a given space. Since the design is customisable, one can utilise Fleximob across disparate locations and for different purposes. Moving beyond the mould of typical cabin design, Fleximob, conceived in wood, with rock wool insulation, serves as a prototype for a temporary modular habitat and can be used for emergency accommodation.

Festival des Cabanes is on view from May 22 - September 29, 2024, at Villa Medici, in Rome, Italy.