Tourists visiting the charming beach town of Eastbourne on England’s south coast will soon be able to enjoy not just the area’s gorgeous Victorian hotels, but also a glowing constellation-viewing hut known as the Stargazer’s Cabin. Designed by the London-based design firm George King Architects, construction of this innovative cabin is scheduled to commence later in the year, and it figures to be one of the small town’s biggest attractions upon completion. Originating as an entry in “The Huts,” an international design contest, George King Architects’ Stargazer’s Cabin snatched gold in the category of “iconic designs for bespoke beach huts.”
Structurally, the hut will be constructed out of a simple timber frame which features a pitched roof. To capture the lantern effect, the architects hung a bespoke layered cladding system from the timber frame and laser cut marine-grade plywood rain screen for the building’s four exterior walls. Behind each wall, George King included a waterproof layer of clear PVC cladding which it affixed to the timber structure’s interior. A series of LED light fittings installed between the PVC and interior cladding help achieve the cabin’s glow.
For the pitched roof, the design team also outfitted each panel with a laser-cut plywood rain screen and put a single layer of the same clear PVC cladding directly behind it. Constructing the cabin’s roof in this way allows for sunlight to feed into the hut via miniature perforations. However, it’s the large interior light that’s installed at the very top of the roof which gives the ceiling its unique lantern effect. Though similar varnished plywood is meant for the cabin’s interior, George King painted it in a lighter color to increase the building’s sense of space.
George King Architects’ project page for the Stargazer Cabin also acknowledges that the hut could reasonably be used as “an excellent concession stand, with its distinctive design attracting customers from afar.” Though it certainly would be one of the oddest places to grab a cup of coffee, there’s no denying how unique an experience it would be to gaze at the stars in this novel beach hut.
