Mablethorpe Beach Hut : New Architecture

'Eyes Wide sHut' - 21st century beach hut, Lincolnshire, east England 2007 Feix&Merlin Architects Bathing Beauties Competition - Winning Entry Location: South Promenade, Mablethorpe Client: Lincolnshire County Council Status: Completed Sep 2007 Contract Value: £25,000 The competition brief called for dramatic new seaside architecture with the intention to instigate coastal regeneration, part of a wider environmental improvement scheme led by Lincolnshire County Council. We are very interested in coastal architecture because of its uniqueness, both in terms of the extremes of the physical conditions, but also because of the positive influence that an exciting new intervention can have on the coastal economy. Eyes Wide sHut features two ornate picture frames, one to the front and one to the rear. These frames carry floor-to-ceiling mirrored polycarbonate panels reflecting the view of the beach to the front and of the town to the rear, as if someone had taken a picture and put it in the frame. From the inside the one-way mirrors allow a perfectly transparent and unobstructed view, but seen from outside they are reflective leaving passers-by wondering what is going on inside. The internal walls are clad with a full height, full width graphic of a forest clearing: An escape from the hot beach into a quiet cool woodland, the big windows at either end allowing a voyeuristic peep out back into the real world. The empty plot next to the hut can be used as a garden. The mirrored front frame of the beach hut slides out, completely opening up the front of the hut, and by doing so sheltering the garden from the wind, whilst retaining a view of the beach and impressive coastline.