Just get away for a while...

Breathe in some fresh air, experience a little soothing silence, just seek out other horizons for a short time... It hardly needs to be said that people's desire to get away from it all is growing. Even the most convinced city dweller is more likely to opt for a mini-holiday, away from it all, sooner rather than later, which may well give the concept of ‘home’ a new meaning.

How do people in Germany and Austria manage to let go of everyday life? We notice how small, carefree windows of time are created more than once. New desires are being catered to that arise from the stressful ‘Zeitgeist’, with a lot revolving around being closely connected to experiencing nature up close. We are seeing the creation of easily accessible destinations, often not too far from urban centres, where you can treat yourself to a relaxing break for body, mind and soul. This means that the holiday begins with the journey itself and you can enjoy a (short) break almost from your own front door.

A Berlin-based platform for immersive nature experiences, aptly named ‘Raus’ (‘Outside’), specialises in these kinds of breaks from everyday life. Raus offers a type of hut that measures between 16 and 18 square metres. These cabins are accessible in the neighbourhood, but have been built far enough away from everyday working life so that they can be set up anywhere. They do not take up any floor space because they are not firmly attached and are equipped with a stove, refrigerator, shower, dry toilet, beds and a small wood-burning stove. That is really all you need for a time-out holiday. The only thing you need to bring with you is the willingness to cook for yourself.

The mobile, location-independent living cabins are the brainchild of Sigurd Larsen. Larsen is both an architect in Berlin and a professor at the International University of Applied Sciences in Berlin. The special challenge for him and his team was to use the space as functionally as possible with only a few cubic metres and at the same time realise the idea of literally framing the idyllic view with the help of the large floor-to-ceiling windows.

“It was a source of inspiration for us because the scope of what was possible was clearly defined. To make the small room appear large, we crammed the entire programme on one side and provided the other side with high ceilings and large panoramic windows. The bed, the sofa, the bunk bed and the bathroom are all alcoves in an inhabited wall”, says Larsen. “In this way, we created a cave-like situation where you can curl up on one side and feel protected, while having an unobstructed view on all other sides.”

The first cabin in the Wehrmühle in Art Biesenthal near Berlin scored just as highly as all the other cabins that have been put into use since 2022. Inside, it is fitted with stained wood, so there are no distracting reflections in the glass at all, with nature outside playing the leading role. Also special are the skylights in the bathroom and above the bunk bed, which allow you to see right up to the treetops. In the morning, the sun shines through the roof, while the terrace is in the shade during the day. In the evening you can enjoy the sunset: “We hope that every guest can make this place their own and feel at home, even if only for a limited time. That is precisely the intention of our architectural firm.”

In order to be able to offer the mid-term holiday without a long journey in Austria, Raus is expanding its offer with four accommodations in picturesque areas between Vienna and Salzburg. These are the first outside of Germany and mark the beginning of a further expansion of the concept. This responds to the trend of soft and mindful travel and makes it possible to spend time in nature all year round and experience the seasons intensively.

The Viennese architectural firm Pichler & Traupmann took an unusual step towards accommodation close to nature. They planned small, discreet living cubes among the vines for a client who owns a vineyard with an award-winning restaurant in Deutsch Schützen in Burgenland. What was originally intended as an uncomplicated place to spend the night after tasting and enjoying the wine, eventually became a popular model and holiday destination.

“Our work is known for its dialogue with the landscape and sensitive handling of the project-specific context, but also for its high degree of innovation and contemporary interpretation of unusual building assignments. These were certainly important factors in the development of the project, because the goal was to combine the originality, simplicity and meditative quality of the location with a refined ambience”, architects Hannes Traupmann and Christoph Pichler explain the idea behind this project.

Ten wooden residential units, each with two beds and an additional sofa, were built in a record construction time of 100 days. The position of the freestanding residential units is based on the order of the rows of vines. They respectfully keep their distance, even though they are embedded in it. Large windows were planned to frame and bring in the surroundings so that as much of the natural spectacle as possible can be enjoyed. Ultimately, nature remains the central theme of the project: not only the shell, but also the entire interior is made of wood, a renewable resource. The building is powered by renewable energy sources.

Due to high demand, the number of purist living boxes was increased by 16 and a day restaurant and wellness building were added to the site. However, it was important to retain the original concept of minimalism. The new cottages were built using a timber frame construction with vertical wooden panelling, with connecting paths winding through the green spaces in between. Tourism can also be peaceful and that is why it is perhaps more valuable when a break is truly a break.

Main image © Noel Richter