The architect behind the Monocoque Cabin

I'm Pete Markos, a RIBA Chartered Architect based in Birmingham. My partner Rebecca and I run the Monocoque Cabin at Tyrley Locks, near Market Drayton in Shropshire, and I designed and built it with friends in 2023.

How the cabin came about

In 2022 we won a grant from Airbnb's OMG! Fund, which backed unusual places to stay. It gave us the chance to build the design. The laminated plywood ribs were put together by hand in a workshop, and the cabin then went up on a dairy farm beside the Shropshire Union Canal.

What "monocoque" means

In a monocoque, the outer skin carries the loads, the way an eggshell does, so there's no separate frame inside. The idea is common in aircraft and car design.

The cabin takes its cue from the WW2 de Havilland Mosquito, an aircraft built from plywood on the same principle. We used several kinds of timber, chosen for strength and for how they weather. The cedar shingles on the outside will go silver-grey over the years.

The design

From outside, the cabin is a curved, ribbed timber shell among the trees. Inside, the walls and ceiling run into each other as one continuous space, and the plywood ribs are left on show. The furniture is built in, which is how a 23 square metre cabin fits a double bed, a kitchen, a shower room and a desk.

If you're thinking about a cabin for your own land, I've written about what to look at during a stay before you commission one.

See the photos, read guest reviews or check availability and book direct →