Agora Arquitectura were commissioned to create a hut in a small parcel of a camping area on the Catalan Pyrenees, reviewing the usual practices associated with self-construction sometimes not very sensitive to the environment.

It is located between the joint of the rivers Durán and Segre, and the road that ties Bellver de la Cerdanya and Isòvol on the Pyrenean axis.

Which continues using elements of sporadic occupation in more permanent occupations, such as those that occur today in the camps designed for weekend rest.

Surrounded by the woods, Agora finds, in the camping area, a habitat concept that shows respectful behaviour toward its context: limiting energy consumption and preserving common spaces, thereby enhancing the social relations.

The shelter presents three distinguished areas. Towards the front, the cooking and living areas allow a continuous flow with the social activities that occur in the immediate outdoors.

Those public functions are gathered in a single space, resembling a big porch that opens up with three full height sliding windows, embodying the will of extending inner spaces in the outer environment, together with the floating platform standing outside and the roll-up shutters that, through a distancing mechanism, colonise the exterior.

In the rear part, two sleeping areas and a storage area are hidden in the most intimate areas of the house. In the central area, displayed are the service elements that equip the dwelling permitting a comfort similar to that of some of the adjacent bungalows.

The prefab technique optimises resources, limiting the risks, saving time, reducing costs and obtaining better precision during the construction process.

The shelter consists of a tubular structure built up by modular units, allowing better lifting and transportation. Several passive systems were considered, aiming at the energy request reduction of the project.

Planning a light and dry structure, the total weight of the work is significantly reduced, easing therefore the lift, transportation and needed man work.

Orienting the dwelling toward South, the sliding doors combine low emissive double glasses and a solar control system made of simple roll-up shutters, which also projects a shadow onto the crossed ventilation system. Elevating the house from the terrain avoids the rise of soil humidity.

The combination of expanded cork on the facade, with plywood panels on the interior elevations, generates a great thermal and acoustic protection.

Needing very low maintenance, the material can be completely recycled.

The project embraces the enviroment’s materiality, responding to the climate requests, and demanding for a significant decrease of energy usage. The winter snow provokes changes in the campsite. Everything, partially or completely disappears. This shelter too.