SIGNAL

The Latvian coast is a geographical threshold between the land and sea. It is also a route that hikers follow as they embark through a liminal world, defined by this boundary condition. Each night they transition from who they were to who they are becoming. Where they experience this change; traversing a line of varied topography between forested cliffs and beaches. It is this diverse nature of the coastline along the E-9 trail and the incremental transformation that the mind experiences on a journey that have inspired the architectural expression for the cabin. A respite awaits, bound by land and sea, perched on a bluff ahead.

The cabin’s form originates from traditional Latvian buildings—hipped roof, sturdy wood-framed enclosures, simple shapes—and interprets those elements into an iconic physical vocabulary that merges with Latvian vernacular and responds to the surrounding environment of trees and windswept strand. The gable end facing the sea and ridge are translucent, serving a dual purpose; welcoming light into the structure by day and emitting it at night as a signal to others that the cabin is occupied.

The cabins were designed using materials that can be carried or carted to the site by hand—local softwoods, beeswax, paraffin or other liquid-applied wax finishes are all sustainable and flexible material options that also speak to the nature and architecture of the unique retreats.

Stretched upward as a vertical lantern to the sea, the cabin becomes a recognizable symbol for experience, shelter, rest, warmth, and community along the Baltic Sea coast of Latvia.