Architects: NEON
Area: 25 m²
Year: 2022
Photographs: Yves Bercez
Design Team: Mark Nixon, Viliina Koivisto
Curator: Blandine Roselle
Engineering Team: Elliott Wood
Production Team: Kraft & Louvre Lens
City: Lens
Country: France
Shiver House is a kinetic “animal-like” structure that moves and adapts in response to surrounding natural forces. This cabin is an exploration into the idea that Architecture can be used as a means to create a closer emotional link between its inhabitants and the natural world it sits within. In addition, the project explores the idea that Architecture can be made to seem “alive” with the intention that this will engender a deeper and longer-lasting emotional relationship between people and the structures we inhabit.
Shiver House uses 1100 kinetic polycarbonate counter-weighted shingles which rotate up or down when the wind, rain, or snow hits them. The ever-changing nature of the external environment means that the structure is in a constant state of transformation. This changeability encourages the viewer to spend a prolonged period of time with the cabin and therefore in nature.
When observing this structure, the viewer is reminded of the invisible forces that surround them and is connected to not just the Shiver House but also the wider landscape. Watching this structure firmly grounds the viewer in the present moment and therefore helps to reduce any anxiety they may be feeling.
When inside the structure, the viewer can observe the environment through its façade as they watch the kinetic shingles modulate the internal light levels and views out to the surrounding landscape.
Shiver House V2 builds on the success of previous iterations of the project installed in Finland. This version is designed for longer-term use and will sit within the park of the louver-lens for a number of years.
