Set along a forest trail near the village of Giez, this modest shelter marks a turning point between two paths.
Facing the golf course, Lake Annecy, and the distant Mont Blanc, the hut invites hikers to pause and engage with the vast Alpine landscape.
Halfway through the “chemin des Fontaines,” a forest trail in Haute-Savoie near the village of Giez, a small wooden cabin emerges at the junction of two hiking paths. The site offers a rare and powerful alignment: in the foreground, the Golf de Giez; beyond, Lake Annecy; and on clear days, the majestic silhouette of Mont Blanc.
This exceptional panorama invites a contemplative pause in the heart of nature. The hut appears almost weightless: a timber volume partially cantilevered, lightly touching the slope. Its oversized roof directly echoes the vernacular buildings of the region—rural outbuildings with generous overhangs forming ambiguous covered spaces. Our design reinterprets this logic to create a micro-architecture rooted in place.
Its language is elementary. Basic geometric shapes triangle, square, semicircle organize both plan and section, evoking the archetype of the cabin while embracing formal clarity.
Inside, the dark volume opens gradually. A stepped interior forms a sequence of platforms that frame the landscape at multiple heights. The first level aligns with the valley and drifting clouds. The second opens to the sky. The third, through a semicircular aperture, captures the full Alpine panorama.
The hut is not a destination, but a hinge a shelter between earth and sky. A moment of suspension. A silent echo of the surrounding peaks.
