Staircase Shelter in Moscow, Idaho

Designed as a shelter for children who have to wait for their school bus, this small structure in Idaho has an outer skin consisting of four curved plywood sheets clad with aluminium strips. The skin is braced by the stepped timber floor construction, comprising two cut strings with treads and risers screwed on. The shelter was manufactured at works and transported complete to the location, where it was anchored to four point foundations and two timber cross-plates. Raised above the ground on the supporting structure, the shelter is protected against rising damp and seems to hover over the site. In their size and form, the steps were designed to meet the children’s needs and provide them with a place to sit.