Stilted woodland cabin by ALT Architekti boasts a spiralling metal staircase
A metal staircase twists though a triangular well in one corner of this six-sided timber cabin by ALT Architekti, which is raised on stilts over a hillside in Central Bohemia (+ slideshow).
![Wooden Cabin by A.LT ARCHITEKTI](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Wooden-Cabin-by-A-LT-Architekti_dezeen_468_5.jpg)
ALT Architekti was commissioned to build the two-bedroom home by a client who "always wanted a wooden house".
Located within a no-build zone, the cabin had to take the place of an existing 1950s summer house on a hillside in Zbecno, a small village in a protected area of the Czech countryside.
![Wooden Cabin by A.LT ARCHITEKTI](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Wooden-Cabin-by-A-LT-Architekti_dezeen_468_3.jpg)
"There is a total building ban," explained the architects. "The only possibility to come up with a new project was to rebuild the existing house, not exceeding the maximum built-up area of 50-square-metres."
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The architects deconstructed the original house, retaining only a small stone garage – now used as a utility room. One side of the new house rests on top of this structure, while the other is supported over the edge of the slope on a network of timber beams set into concrete footings.
![Wooden Cabin by A.LT ARCHITEKTI](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Wooden-Cabin-by-A-LT-Architekti_dezeen_468_6.jpg)
The timber framework, clad in pale untreated larch and lined with oil-treated panels of the same timber, was chosen as it offered a speedy construction process and minimised the amount of disturbance to the site. Large sections of glazing are oriented to allow residents to appreciate woodland views and maximise sunlight.
![Wooden Cabin by A.LT ARCHITEKTI](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Wooden-Cabin-by-A-LT-Architekti_dezeen_468_7.jpg)
A flight of wooden steps leads up from the lower part of the site, widening as they approach a decked platform and glazed entrance at the rear of the new building.
![Wooden-Cabin-by-A-LT-Architekti_dezeen_468_9](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Wooden-Cabin-by-A-LT-Architekti_dezeen_468_9.jpg)
The two-storey structure has a stretched hexagonal floor-plan, which creates a combination of triangular and rectilinear rooms.
![Wooden-Cabin-by-A-LT-Architekti_dezeen_468_1](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Wooden-Cabin-by-A-LT-Architekti_dezeen_468_1.jpg)
"The site lacks enough noon sun," explained the architects. "The hexagonal layout was the best solution for getting the maximum western sun penetration and views all around."
![Wooden-Cabin-by-A-LT-Architekti_dezeen_468_4](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Wooden-Cabin-by-A-LT-Architekti_dezeen_468_4.jpg)
A living room, kitchen, laundry room and a toilet are spread across the elevated ground floor, while two bedrooms, a study and bathroom are set below the eaves on the upper level.
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The folded steel staircase, with treads that twist around a central column, sits at one side of the timber-lined living space.
![Wooden Cabin by A.LT ARCHITEKTI](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Wooden-Cabin-by-A-LT-Architekti_dezeen_468_0.jpg)
Upstairs, pale wooden partitions containing storage units and integrated seating follow the severe pitch of the roof.
Photography is by Tomáš Rasl.
![Wooden Cabin by A.LT ARCHITEKTI](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Wooden-Cabin-by-A-LT-Architekti_dezeen_1.gif)
![Wooden Cabin by A.LT ARCHITEKTI](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Wooden-Cabin-by-A-LT-Architekti_dezeen_2.gif)
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![Wooden Cabin by A.LT ARCHITEKTI](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/02/Wooden-Cabin-by-A-LT-Architekti_dezeen_4.gif)