Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

A Tiny, Prefab Cabin Soaks Up Riverside Views in Chile

A Tiny, Prefab Cabin Soaks Up Riverside Views in Chile

This temporary accommodation for traveling professors tilts toward the water like the bow of a boat.

Visiting professors at the Austral University of Chile in the province of Valdivia have more to look forward to than inspiring academic discussion-they also get the opportunity to stay in a purpose-built, architect-designed cabin overlooking the Calle-Calle River. The cabin is perched amidst educational and residential buildings, with a glass face that projects toward the water, giving occupants the impression that the cabin is afloat.



"At the moment of positioning the volume, the question was asked: What way of relating to the river do we want?" says architect Gabriel Felipe Westermeier Castillo. "A traditional one-or one that selects where and how this visual pleasure is obtained. Obviously, we selected the latter one."



The compact volume is split into two different levels. The entrance leads past a bathroom to a combined kitchen, dining, and living area, which is divided from the sleeping and study area in the front of the cabin by two large steps.

The steps also act as seating for the dining room table and conceal storage for nautical equipment that can be used for recreation in the river. "The cabin fulfills the basic functions of sporadically inhabiting, eating, sleeping, working, resting, and recreating," says Westermeier Castillo.



The cabin is primarily constructed from prefabricated metal plates that stand up to the rainy climate typical of areas in southern Chile. Inside, plywood cladding creates a cozy atmosphere and a feeling of refuge. This sense is heightened by the relationship between the interior and the river-the large glass wall allows occupants to feel as if they are floating on the water.



"There is a state of absolute contemplation through the bedroom and study," says Westermeier Castillo. "It’s a space that leads to calm, and it’s my favorite part of the cabin."



One of the firm’s biggest challenges was siting of the volume so that it didn’t obstruct views from the existing buildings. The cabin also needed to be extremely structurally stable, as the region is prone to earthquakes.



"The results of this project were better than they expected, and today the cabin is highly requested by visiting professors," says Westermeier Castillo. "As it’s a building for an educational center, it is important to put ideas on the table, to explore, and to dare to experiment with other ways of living."


Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×