Outdoors in style and luxury

Fabric structures designed to fit natural surroundings.

In the middle of the Korean countryside, valleys, lakes and streams coexist with fabric structures that resemble strangely compelling giant mushrooms or cream-colored pupae cases from some fantasy insect. The glamping (“glamorous camping”) units allow inhabitants to live in harmony with the outdoors while enjoying contemporary design aesthetics. Designed by ArchiWorkshop, Seoul, Korea, the glamping architecture is “a place where nature, ecological values, comfort and modern design are combined for an exciting adventure,” according to project architects Hee-Jun Sim and Su-Jeong Park.

ArchiWorkshop makes two types of glamping units—the stacking doughnut (570 square feet) and the modular flow (398 square feet), the second of which is designed for expansion using modular floor panels. Each unit has an outer membrane skin that provides UV protection, fire resistance and waterproofing, stretched over a steel frame. Computer-animated surface plans are plotted with 2-D cutters and welded to make the skin watertight. One end of each unit is a window/door and a small deck space with vistas of the outdoors. Glamping units also have a toilet booth shielded by an art wall and a sofa that converts into a bed. Sculptural and serene, the units epitomize design fitted to nature.

Variations on the floor plans of the movable units are designated “sea,” “desert,” “creek,” “mountain,” “cave,” “forest,” “river” and “city,” an emphasis that focuses on one of the basic tenets of desirable property—location, location, location.