the immerso retreat is a transparent cabin for camping under the stars

italian architects fabio vignolo and francesca turnaturi have created a transparent cabin for camping under the stars. dubbed immerso, the tiny housing module sleeps up to four people and takes just two hours to assemble.

images via airbnb

the transparent-roof cabin is a prefabricated timber shelter that can be built on-site without using any electric tools. it is made of a series of CNC-cut birch plywood panels that slot together easily. the quick assembly method means the structure can also be easily dismantled, flat-packed and transported to different locations.

immerso measures 6 square meters (65 sq ft) and is located in the alpine town ‘la morra’ in the italian alps, 1,900 m (6,234 ft) above sea level. inside, a minimal interior features a double bed and coffee table. there is also the option to close off the walls with curtains while leaving the transparent roof exposed. two large front doors open onto views of the surroundings.

‘in order to achieve immerso, the production processes have been optimized to achieve the first module built with fully interlocking birch phenolic plywood panels, for which the hardware is only used to anchor the transparent coating to the structure,’ the architects explain. ‘the peculiarity of immerso is therefore the extreme ease of assembly, even by non-expert operators, in a very short time, through a few simple steps and without the use of tools powered by electricity and operational capabilities. this makes immerso suitable to be quickly transported and assembled in many different contexts.’

project info

architects: fabio vignolo and francesca turnaturi
name: immerso
location: