In the peaceful ambience of the forests, only a short walking distance from two of Norway’s largest hospitals, Snøhetta has designed two secluded wooden shelters aspiring to make hospitalization easier for patients and their families. Designed for the Friluftssykehuset Foundation, which has donated the cabins to the hospitals, the Outdoor Care Retreats offer visitors a physical and psychological respite from strict treatment regimens and the isolation that often follows long-term hospitalization. The subdued 35 m2 spaces stand in stark contrast to the monumental hospital buildings that they are affiliated with. Each cabin consists of a main room, a smaller room for conversation and treatment, and a bathroom. The interior is fully clad in oak, echoing the natural materiality of the woodlands outside. Inside the space, colorful, sculpted pillows can be moved around freely, allowing children to build huts or lie down to gaze through the circular window of the main room’s ceiling. The cabin’s large glass windows can be fully opened, inviting nature into the space. In this way, visitors can peek into the woods, smell the forest, and listen to the sound of trickling water while still being inside the cabin...[+]