Zero Travel Nolla Cabin

Zero Travel Nolla Cabin

Vallisaari, a sun drenched island just a 15-minute ferry ride from Helsinki, recently played host to the Zero Travel Nolla Cabin.

Zero Travel Nolla Cabin interior of cabin with designer Robin Falck seated on sofa and view to the outdoors

The fetching a-frame, from Finland-based designer Robin Falck and Neste, is a concrete (or perhaps I should say wood and glass) as well as metaphorical lesson in sustainable living.

Zero Travel Nolla Cabin view from outside with designer standing on small deck amid rocky cliff and tall pine trees

More specifically, the cabin is meant as a model for eco-conscious travel. Just 13 feel tall and eminently portable, Nolla is perched on stilts that leave the landscape untouched. The idea is that it can be built in any locale—without altering or damaging the surrounding eco-system—within two to seven days.

Zero Travel Nolla Cabin view as if looking at a prototype of the cabin on a tablet

Nolla is a model for renewable power as well. Electricity is provided by a wall-sized solar panel mounted on the Northwest side for maximum solar gain. The compact Wallas stove satisfies both heating and cooking needs—it’s powered by Neste’s My Renewable Diesel, a diesel fuel made entirely of residue and waste.

Zero Travel Nolla Cabin view of solar panel mounted on cabin wall
Zero Travel Nolla Cabin view looking down on Wallas Stove with teak kettle, cuttiing board, and various teas

Treading lightly is part and parcel of the Nolla philosophy, so rather than transporting the cabin to different locales, the company is staging a “Build Your Own Nolla Cabin Contest.” Entrants post a picture of the view they’d like to see from their proposed Nolla locale, framed in the triangular floor-to-ceiling window. 12 winners will receive blueprints and building instructions.

Zero Travel Nolla Cabin rendering of cabin as if superimposed upon a desert landscape with sky and mountains visible in the distance

See Neste for more information.

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