10 Secluded Buildings We’d Love To Visit
Every now and then we all crave a bit of peace and quiet, a chance to get off the grid and escape to somewhere tranquil and secluded. Feeling tired of civilisation? Here are 10 secluded buildings from around the world that we would love to visit.
Seascape Retreat
Located along the rocky escarpment of a small South Pacific cove, Seascape Retreat on the Banks Peninsula in New Zealand captures the stark beauty of the New Zealand coast with a romantic, elegant design that melds perfectly into the local countryside.
Built from local masonry and macrocarpa wood, other materials include shatter-proof steel mullions and glazed low e-glass to protect the home from storms.
With its geometric design and unique aspect, Seascape Retreat is the perfect spot to be exposed to, and protected from the elements.
Svalbard Global Seed Vault
Svalbard is one of the foremost seed banks around the globe, designed to house, store and protect crops in case of disaster. With a capacity to hold 4.5 million seed varieties and over 850,000 already in the vault, it’s not only preserving agriculture, but safeguarding our future.
Well above sea level, Svalbard is protected from flooding in a geologically stable area with low humidity, while permafrost offers a low cost solution to conventional freezing.
Located between the mainland of Norway and the North Pole, it’s the farthest north a person can fly on a regularly scheduled flight. The winsome remoteness and stark beauty of the arctic only add to the secluded mystery of this uniquely sustainable place.
Fogo Island Inn
Located on the northeast Canadian coast of Newfoundland, Fogo Island Inn is an architectural marvel. It’s set against the striking background of the North Atlantic Ocean, along the Labrador Current and famous Iceberg Alley.
Inside, the inn mixes the contemporary with the traditional. It has unique rooms and dining, a bar, a library, a gallery and a cinema, making it a place suitable for more than just short stay.
Outside, visitors to this remote inn will enjoy 35 kilometers of rural communities, unique flora, and wildlife including caribou, foxes and beavers. The population of Fogo island is a mere 2,400 people, separated into 10 distinct communities, offering visitors the chance to experience a way of life that is honest, humble, and one with nature.
Sky House
Running off solar power, Architect Jesse Garlick’s Sky House is a vacation retreat in Oroville, Washington, USA that is completely off the grid.
High thermal mass walls help keep indoor temperatures at a pleasant degree while propane and solar provide the means for water heating and cooking.
Inside it is contemporary, vibrant and homely, taking inspiration from old cabins of yesteryear. Outside, Sky House boasts once-in-a-lifetime views of the Washington countryside, including the Cascade Foothills. We love it for its secluded location and cosy interiors.
Katskhi Pillar
Home of two Byzantine Churches, The Republic of Georgia’s Katskhi Pillar has been venerated by locals as the Pillar of Life for centuries. Though it has remained largely uninhabited since the 1400s, the Katskhi Pillar currently boasts a single inhabitant.
Maxim Qavtaradze moved to the Pillar in the 1990s. Coming and going via a 131-foot iron ladder that takes upwards of 20 minutes to ascend, Maxim made the choice to change his life and restore Katskhi after a stint in prison forced him to reevaluate his priorities.
“It is up here in the silence that you can feel God’s presence,” he told the UK’s Telegraph. “I used to drink with friends in the hills around here and look up at this place, where land met sky. We knew the monks had lived up there before and I felt great respect for them.”
Puccio House
Designed and built by WMR Arquitectos in 2012, this 150-square metre marvel of poetic seclusion set along the dramatic Chilean coastline looks like the perfect abode for getting away from it all.
Built exclusively from local materials and labour, the interiors are bright, light-filled and raw. Nothing seems out of place, yet there’s a distinct feeling of hand-worked craftsmanship and bespoke originality.
Boasting spectacular views of the ocean, yet protected from the winds with plenty of windows to let the sun warm the interiors, there are few spaces in the world that better showcase how appealing a life away from the urban hubbub can be.
Casa Caldera
Made from prehistoric lava rock, Casa Caldera is located 2 hours south of Tucson near the US-Mexican border, and offers hidden rural chic in a remote location.
Behind the striking rock facings of the exterior you’ll find warm woods, ceiling fans, and modern, yet simple interiors. Situated 5,000-feet above sea level, you can expect freezing nights and boiling days, but clever use of natural air and placements of windows and doors keeps it fairly temperate. There’s also a fireplace and furnace for winter night.
We love it because it is more than just a seaside getaway. With mountains for views and enough space for a family, Casa Caldera is a modern ruralist’s dream home.
Grotto Sauna
Escape to the picturesque solitude of Ontario’s Georgian Bay and the Grotto Sauna. Inspired by a collaboration of the local landscape and the design of Italian grottos, the exterior is built from charred cedar, prepared using traditional Japanese Shou Sugi Ban to give it a weathered look.
Highly sustainable, this residential spa retreat’s slightly alien interior communicates with the gentle waves of the water while the exterior practically disappears into the landscape – something we all wish we could do from time to time!
Social pool in the Mojave desert
Image via DesignBoom
Bridging the divide between consumption, solitude, escapism and secrecy, the ‘social pool’ by Alfredo Barsuglia is a unique site, quietly hidden in the Mojave desert.
To get there requires physical effort, the key to the cover, and the GPS coordinates of it’s location. By forcing folks to make an effort to get to this weirdly wonderful site, Barsuglia hopes that we will reflect more on what’s important and valuable to us.
Edgeland House
Located in a unique confluence of old industrial and rural greenery, Edgeland House combines cutting-edge architectural creativity with an affinity for the Native American pithouse and a desire to provide a more natural habitation with the land.
Commissioned by an unnamed Science Fiction writer, architects Bercy Chen Studio situated this angular abode in Austin, Texas. Singularly open, stylish and futuristic, it’s remote location makes it a hidden oasis that melds past and present into something more than the sum of its parts.
