Wanderer’s Wonder
The Wanderer’s Wonder is a small place to stop and replenish. Its conceptual siting is deemed to be an addition or replacement to small but remarkable vernacular British and Irish structures, such as redundant pillboxes, beach huts, lock keepers’ cottages, Irish Clocháin, cobbler’s cottages or follies
Whether you are taking a canal-side stroll, a day at the beach, a seat by the lake, a walk on the South Downs Way, a tour of the Ring of Kerry, or are waiting for a bus at Paignton pier, the Wonder provides a place of rest and fortitude along your chosen pilgrimage.
The Wonder is both demountable and transportable on an electric lorry. Construction is elemental to allow transport by hand if required; the structure can be rigged by a two-person team and accommodates a footprint less than the size of a standard parking space (2.4x3.5sqm).
A simplistic, bolted, hollow post and rafter system is overclad with large spangle – lightweight galvanised facing sheets, fixed with reusable pop rivets and panel holders. Modular corrugated panels form the roof and overhang. The materiality is a muted reflection of the site, taking on its hues. Mid-weight sheets of galvanised floor grating cradle in place and allow drainage whilst reducing boot/ wheel residue.
Surrounding tanks mitigate site levels and allow a view of the ‘ponderers pool’ – upward reflection of tree, building or skyline reveals our unseen view. As we peer inside, clerestory grates screen from wind and rain, dappling the interior with muted light. The envelope is a cold structure; lined with timber elements at points of contact. Seating, tables and benches double as overnight bunks. A series of sliding shutters provide security and privacy by night and a window by day. Outlook is determined by orienting views of significance. An historic tree, valley, viaduct, distant spire, gate in a wall or bluebell meadow.
Filtrated rainwater is collected via a modular steel sheet roof; gutters and diverters alternate positions. with excess runoff providing water for dogs and local wildlife.
The Wonder is accessible by powered and manual wheelchair with graded pathways. A safety pod includes a visual beacon, AED/First Aid kit. Flexible PV panels clip to the roof, providing power charging and lighting.
We think that the Wonder frolics as a modern descendant of the Scandinavian ‘sami hut’ or Irish cobblers cottage, infused by a shimmer of steel and the flaneur of a seaside pavilion.