Designer Jordan Ralph has created an off-grid artist's cabin called Studio Drop on an island off the west coast of Galway, Republic of Ireland.
Created as part of the coronavirus-extended programme for the Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture, the studio was built on Inis Oírr ? one of the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland.
Ralph designed Studio Drop as a space for week-long artist residencies that looks both modern and familiar.
Studio Drop is an artist's retreat on Inis Oírr
"The core concept for Studio Drop was to design and create a deployable piece of microarchitecture, that would land on Inis Oírr and serve as a space for artists to participate in residencies for a week or two in relative isolation," Ralph told Dezeen "We wanted to design an original piece that felt both contemporary, and simultaneously indigenous to the land and people of Inis Oírr."
The structure's form recalls Martello towers
The simple structure has a circular form that tapers slightly and is informed by other structures built to withstand harsh conditions as well as local coastal buildings.
"Cylindrical forms are ideal for the gale force storms that frequent the Irish west coastline, and force the wind to break around them rather than push them over," said Ralph.
"We looked to deployable structures designed for extreme environments for inspiration; one design in particular that really inspired me early on was the South African Antarctic research...