Hain Hut

Hain Hut is a minimal dwelling that reinterprets the constructions of the Selk’nam people. It draws on vernacular traditions to rethink contemporary habitation, aiming at an essential connection with nature and territory.

The project stands on Dawson Island, Tierra del Fuego, two hours by ferry from Punta Arenas, a site with a remote and recent history whose access is now restricted. The landscape combines a greenish lagoon, snow, strong winds and a permanent sense of horizontality. The answer is an aerodynamic conical form whose verticality ends in an oculus to watch the sky.

Forest logs are replaced by a self-bearing structure of timber roundwood, and animal skin by the Yakisugi system, able to face a harsh climate with dignity. Prefabrication allows efficient transport and quick assembly by a six-person crew, with components of 50 kg at most so two people can handle them. An ascending helical path grades intimacy up to the bedroom and, as in any nomadic dwelling, a single core gathers the minimum for survival: fire and water.