Beautiful vistas aren’t the only treat awaiting hikers in Oslo’s Nordmarka forest — a Snøhetta-designed cabin has recently been added near one of the city’s most stunning viewpoints and can be booked online year-round. Dubbed Fuglemyrhytta, the small self-service cabin takes the shape of a pentagonal timber shelter punctuated by a large panoramic window to frame views of the Oslo fjord at Vettakollen. Easily accessible by foot and public transit, the charming, city-owned cabin can accommodate up to 16 people by day and 10 people overnight.
Opened to the public in September 2018, Fuglemyrhytta has since welcomed over 2,000 overnight guests — a number the architects reported to be over six times the average for similar service cabins — and is usually fully booked every day of the week. The popular cabin is located on the west side of a small hill by Fuglemyra near the Vettakollen metro stop, which connects to the city center. A “gapahuk” shelter and timber benches can also be found around the cabin, and a small outhouse with a toilet and woodshed is tucked behind the building.
The architects built the cabin with locally sourced and natural materials, from a structure of cross-laminated timber with two stiffened and isolated glulam frames to ore-pine cladding. Inside, cross-laminated timber also lines the interior while select walls are treated with hard wax oil to create surface variations ranging in color from light gray to burgundy to orange.
Related: Snøhetta designs healing forest cabins for patients at Norway’s largest hospitals
“The cabin is composed of two staggered pentagonal volumes, whose shapes and height add a sense of lightness to the different rooms,” Snøhetta noted in a project statement. “The shape of the rooms further creates clever sleeping solutions and more interesting views out on the surrounding landscape.”
A large, south-facing window frames views of the outdoors and brings light into the spacious common room, which includes plenty of seating, an oven and a stove. The cabin also features a long mudroom at the entrance, a drying room and two bedrooms.
Photography by Ivar Kvaal and Ole Petter Steen via Snøhetta
