The Hidden Nest

HM of New Zealand Nature Retreat: Antipodes Island

+ HONOURABLE MENTION

New Zealand Nature Retreat: Antipodes Island

[19776]

The Hidden Nest – Shelter for Science, Silence, and Life

Team

Name: Hubert CHARLAIX

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubert_charlaix/

Nationality: French

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The Hidden Nest is a shelter designed to host ornithologists on the remote Antipodes Island. Resting in the landscape as a linear form and easy to install, it is composed of a long volume clad in charred timber (yakisugi) , topped with a simple steel roof. The building is divided into three distinct parts: the research part, a central communal core for sharing and gathering, and the sleeping area, intimate and isolated.

Conceived for full autonomy, the refuge relies on solar energy, rainwater harvesting and filtration, and low-impact solutions such as dry toilets. This technical simplicity ensures minimal disturbance to the fragile ecosystem, echoing the scientists’ mission of observation and preservation.

Evolving by design, The Hidden Nest integrates from the outset a potential for transformation: the research part, conceived as a flexible space, can shift its interior function to become a place of retreat, reception, or future experimentation, while remaining part of the main shelter.

Discreet yet enduring, the project asserts a lasting presence within the vast wilderness, offering researchers a protective refuge in extreme conditions, while remaining ready to accompany future transformations.

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Jury Comments

– Yanyan Zhang

The proposal is characterized by a clear and restrained formal language, paired with efficient spatial organization and the use of environmentally responsible materials. Conceived as an off-grid solution, the project integrates low-impact strategies such as solar energy generation, rainwater harvesting, and dry toilet systems. Together, these measures demonstrate a thoughtful and sensitive response to the site’s fragile ecological context.

– Olivia Bina

Conceived for full autonomy, the refuge relies on solar energy, rainwater harvesting and filtration,
and low-impact solutions such as dry toilets. This technical simplicity ensures minimal disturbance to
the fragile ecosystem, echoing the scientists’ mission of observation and preservation.