Cabin Fever 2025

Cabin Fever is an international summer school and festival founded by the Hungarian architectural studio Hello Wood, known for its community-focused and sustainable projects carried out using the design-build approach. Since its inception in 2010, Hello Wood has become a global platform connecting practical education with socially responsible architecture.

The 2025 edition, supported by VELUX, focused on how light and space shape human experience – emphasizing presence, intimacy, and connection. This dialogue with VELUX reflects a shared belief that the future needs to be shaped responsibly – with ease and mutual care – offering meaningful alternatives in a world saturated with stimuli.

Students and young designers from around the world collaborated with renowned studios such as Arthur Mamou-Mani (UK), Geoffrey Eberle / Entropic (ES), Mjölk architekti (CZ), and Hello Wood (HU) to design and build cabins and temporary installations.

Vision for Česká Kamenice

Cabin Fever 2025 took place in Česká Kamenice on the grounds of a former textile factory that was used as a labor camp during World War II – a place bearing both the weight of memory and the potential for transformation. Under the theme "Quality Time – Connection to Each Other", participants were invited to explore how design can strengthen our relationships with people and with the places we inhabit.

Hello Wood's journey to Česká Kamenice began in Csóromfölde, a nearly abandoned rural estate in Hungary that has historically been part of a noble estate. The village was abandoned during World War II and gradually fell into disrepair. As part of a three-year Project Village program, Hello Wood connected students, professors, and architectural studios from around the world to demonstrate how architecture and design can revitalize depopulated rural areas.

After similar international programs in Argentina and San Francisco, Hello Wood sought a new location in Europe. The intention was to continue the design-build educational model following meaningful social outreach in architecture. The partner for realizing this vision became VELUX, which has long supported projects focused not only on atmosphere and the experience of space but also on architecture as a socially engaged practice.

Thanks to the network of Czech architects involved in Project Village, particularly the studio Mjölk architekti, Hello Wood was introduced to Česká Kamenice. The historical layering of the town, its natural beauty, and local efforts for revitalization created ideal conditions for a shared mission: A three-year program in which Hello Wood will return every summer with an international team of students and professionals to collaboratively create not only structures but also lasting relationships between architecture, people, and the environment.

Thus, Cabin Fever is not just a festival or a workshop, but a growing ecosystem based on collaboration, learning, and the belief that architecture can be a powerful social act.

"During these ten days, our town became a place where exceptionally strong architectural ideas and concepts from around the world met and were realized. We are thrilled with the outcome and even more pleased that we will be part of this project in the coming years. Cabin Fever, along with our unique urban festival KAMEN!CE, is proof that even a small town can offer great things. Every visitor can see for themselves—whether they come to view the architectural installations or choose to spend the night in one of the structures created by architects during these three years." Jan Papajanovský, Mayor of Česká Kamenice

Realized Projects

The Eclosion pavilion invites connection to both indoor spaces and distant places. The intricate history of the site is woven into the object, where people and space meet, like the warp and weft of fabric. The installation draws inspiration from the multifaceted history of the site—from textile craft tradition and aircraft manufacturing to the delicate cocoon of the spider Meta menardi. Within this single space, layers of natural and human histories intersect. Upon visiting, you become part of the ever-changing fabric of space and time: You are one of the threads in this living whole. You leave transformed, as if you have experienced your own "eclosion," the birth of new perspectives and shared memories.

Design: Dorottya Kiss (HU), Matthew McArthur (CA)
Workshop Leaders: Dorottya Kiss (HU), Matthew McArthur (CA)
Execution Team: Balázs Csépi (RO), Caroline Mann (AT), Dániel Attila Bedrossian (HU), Ella Kullered (SE), Eszter Bärnkopf (HU), Marta Bautista Useros (ES), Steeven Isaac Pilla Barroso (EC)

This playful yet functional object, representing one of the world's most well-known birds, serves as a shelter and lookout point. Inspired by the life of forest birds, the structure invites visitors to lie down in its "neck" and comfortably observe the treetops and nesting birds through an internal mirror. The moss-covered surface also serves as a living habitat for insects and birds, connecting architecture with nature. Its playful form reminds us that design is not just about straight lines, but can bring joy, curiosity, and deeper connection with the world around us.

Design: Mjölk architekti (CZ)
Workshop Leaders: Jan Mach – Mjölk architekti (CZ), Igor Nesterov – Mjölk architekti (CZ)
Execution Team: Ábel Fenyvesi (HU), Adam Schwarz (CZ), Anna Maršálková (CZ), Daniela Ondřejová (CZ), David Haňkovský (CZ), Ester Moretto (IT), Filip Cerha (CZ), Filip Thuma (CZ), Jolana Dubová (CZ), Marieke Béroff (FR), Marina Pyzhianova (CZ), Martina Thýnová (CZ), Nikola Žuchová (CZ), Tereza Podzimek (CZ), Tobiáš Hrabec (CZ), Veronika Richterová (CZ), Vilmos Hermann (HU)

The slender vertical cabin towers among the treetops like a splinter of wood broken off directly from the forest. Externally, the striking structure boldly contrasts with the surrounding nature. Inside, however, it opens into a pleasant space with natural materials and a cozy atmosphere, ideal for gatherings. The shelter balances between solitude and connection, rawness and comfort, offering space for resting, storytelling, and a deeper connection with both nature and people.

Design: Entropic (ES)
Workshop Leaders: Geoffrey Ebere – Entropic (GB), Magdalena Mróz – Entropic (PL), Jan Dobeš (CZ)
Execution Team: Boglárka Fábián (HU), Dylan Joel Jacome Castillo (EC), Evangelia Kalevea (GR), Fernando José Valle Proaño (EC), Idil Kocak (TR), Jan Ptáček (CZ), Martin Zima (CZ), Merlin Summers (GB), Omarian Millings (GB), Petr Jahelka (CZ), Petr Zeronik (CZ), Sara Vasilj (HR), Sebastian Salijević (CZ)

This residential module, where knowledge meets nature, comes alive like a seed beneath the forest floor.
Its intricate geometric form reflects the balance and harmony of the free nature, while the mossy surroundings invite quiet contemplation. Inside, the space transforms into a classroom among the trees – a cozy and inspiring place where ideas germinate, grow, and bring people together. Živa is not just a shelter; it is a shared creative work, a symbol of growth, a place where people, craft, and nature flourish together.

Design: Arthur Mamou-Mani (GB)
Workshop Leaders: Giovanni Panico – Arthur Mamou-Mani x Fab.Pub (UK), Rae Woods (GB)
Execution Team: Eliska Fuentes Pérez (EC), Jose Julian Salas Celleri (EC), Martín Alberto Montero García (EC), Natálie Demuthová (CZ), Natálie Dvořáčková (CZ), Saif Bashir (GB), Santiago Arroyo (EC), Tomáš Kadaňka (CZ), Zoe Mirkovic (CH)

The object transforms the principles of a loom into an architectural form, paying homage to the site's textile tradition. Vertical wooden columns and horizontal beams resemble the warp and weft of fabric, while the stretched textile creates an elevated platform for rest and contemplation. In the context of the former factory, this shelter also symbolizes – a tangible reminder of craftsmanship, memory, and the transformation of place.

Design: Zak Underwood (GB)
Workshop Leaders: Zak Underwood (GB)
Execution Team: Emma Szász (DE), Isabel Monserrath Quisingo Gaibor (EC), Kristýna Matýsková (CZ), Måns Sjöwall (SE), Marcos Israel Fiallos López (EC), Sofía Carolina Chávez Ortega (EC), Sohye Yeom (KR), Vendula Zíková (CZ)

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Organizer: Hello Wood, www.hellowood.com

Main Sponsor: VELUX, www.velux.cz

Instructors and Workshop Leaders:
Arthur Mamou-Mani x FAB.PUB [UK]
Entropic [ES]
Mjölk architekti [CZ]
Hello Wood [HU]
Dorottya Kiss [HU]
Matthew McArthur [CA]
Jan Dobeš [CZ]
Rae Woods [GB]
Zak Underwood [GB]

Workshop Participants:
Board of Hello Wood: András Huszár, Dávid Ráday, Krisztián Tóth
Project Leader: Dávid Nagy
Project Coordinator: Sára Lőrincz
Project Architect: Maja Balogh
Chief Carpenter: István Komjáthy
Organizational Partner: Martin Šolc
Workshop Team: Attila Sztankovics, Kinga Németh, Katalin Kitti Kiss, Bálint Pörneczi
Purchasing Manager: Zsolt Hodgyai
Electrical Safety: Norbert Verpulácz
Content and Media: Dávid Nagy
Kitchen: Zsolt Dunszt, Ildikó Dunsztné Pataki
Graphic Design: Bercel Hegyessy