Tubakuba

When students at the Bergen School of Architecture were challenged with getting more children into the wild Norwegian woods, the solution they found proved to be as delightful as it is beautiful. 

Designed by the second year class of architectural students, Tubakuba is a cabin placed in the forest just outside the city of Bergen. Providing easy access for all, the primary feature of the structure is its rabbit hole-esque appearance, built from bent timber scraps to mimic the horn of a tuba (hence its name). In function, the cabin is begging to be explored; children and adults alike gravitate to the hole in the building as if it were a maelstrom. Per design, the children have an easier time fitting through its mouth than the grown-ups, but regardless of size, emerging on the other side reveals that Tubakuba had all along been perched on the edge of a cliff, replete with spectacular views of the city of Bergen below. 

As if creating a building hidden in the woods that kids of all ages love to explore around and through weren’t enough of an architectural success for a bunch of students still learning the ropes themselves, Tubakuba is available for rent on a nightly basis. The Bergen School of Architecture set up a portal where groups of up to five individuals (with families being given priority) are able to reserve single night stays in the cabin’s sleek, Scandinavian minimalist interior. Though relatively small in terms of square-footage, the space is maximized with lofted areas, kept cozy with a wood stove, and boasts a full wall of windows facing the Bergen vista.

Minimally stocked, guests are asked to pack in and out all the necessities for their stay, and be mindful of the fact that they’re guests in the rabbit hole through which the curious may slide at any hour of the day, as it is first and foremost a public space in which they happen to be sleeping for the night.