A small elevated viewpoint projects from this tiny house-shaped pavilion, which JCPCDR Architecture has built for hikers to observe Lake Annecy in France.
Named L'Observatoire, the pavilion is nestled below the trees on a secluded mountainside site in Giez. It was designed and built by Parisian studio JCPCDR Architecture with local fir wood.
Though it is intended to complement its surroundings and evoke traditional cottages in the region, the studio hopes its presence will surprise passersby and invite them to stop and enjoy their surroundings.

The small scale of the L'Observatoire was dictated by the fir trees around Lake Annecy, which have long, slim trunks. This means the largest boards available for construction were 30 centimetres wide.
They are combined by JCPCDR Architecture to create to create a miniature house-like form with a double-pitched roof to echo local vernacular.

"The concept of the pavilion is to enter a space with little light to cut us from our direct environment, then the more we go up in the pavilion the more the blades of wood diverge and the light and the landscape is offered to the visitors," added Petillault.
"These mountainous landscapes are so breathtaking that we thought we needed a visual break to better appreciate the viewpoint on Lake Annecy."

Other recently completed timber pavilions featured on Dezeen include the riverside Potemkin Theatre by Maich Swift Architects in London, and the University of Stuttgart's twisti...