PEBL Cabins / Hello Wood

Architects: Hello Wood
Year: 2025
Photography: György Palkó
Lead Architects: Tamás Fülöp, András Huszár
Design Board: András Huszár, Dávid Ráday, Krisztián Tóth
Production: Károly Bere, István Komjáthy, András Szabó, Zsolt Hodgyai
Interior Design: Tamás Fülöp, Anikó Varga
Accessories: KARE Design
City/Location: New York
Country: United States

The PEBL Grand marks the international debut of a modular cabin system developed by Hello Wood as an evolution of its earlier PEBL One prototype. Designed over a four-year research and development process, the project combines sculptural form with a patented CLT-based construction system that enables complex geometries within a prefabricated framework. The cabin is fully manufactured off-site and installed rapidly using ground screw foundations, minimizing construction time and environmental impact. Customizable in materials and layout, the unit delivers a complete hospitality experience within a compact footprint, including wellness and panoramic features. Its installation on a Brooklyn rooftop demonstrates the adaptability of the system to dense urban contexts, positioning the PEBL Grand as a flexible architectural response to contemporary demands for mobility, sustainability, and experiential quality.

One of my favorite architectural details is the low-poly geometry and refined linework of the PEBL Grand cabin. It’s something we spent a lot of time refining. The faceted surfaces aren’t meant as a visual statement on their own—they come from a very precise way of thinking about structure and assembly. Every edge and angle is set millimeter-accurately, and when it comes together on site, the planes tighten and align exactly as intended, often assembled very simply, even just with an Allen key.
Interview with András Huszár of Hello Wood

The PEBL Grand emerges from a broader shift in the studio’s trajectory, reflecting a move from temporary installations and experimental camps toward long-term product development. Rather than approaching the cabin as a singular architectural object, the designers conceived it as a repeatable yet adaptable system, capable of responding to varied sites, climates, and functional demands. This mindset underpins both its formal expression and its technical resolution.

Formally, the cabin departs from orthogonal conventions through a low-poly geometry that suggests pebbles shaped by natural forces. Its faceted surfaces create an appearance that is simultaneously organic and futuristic, allowing the structure to feel at home in forested landscapes while maintaining a strong identity in urban settings. The sculptural envelope is intentionally ambiguous in scale, reading at once as land art and inhabitable architecture.

The exterior cladding plays a critical role in this adaptability. Depending on material selection, ranging from wood and stone to aluminum or mirrored finishes, the cabin can either recede into its surroundings or assert itself as a visual landmark. This material flexibility allows the same architectural system to perform across contrasting environments without compromising its identity.

At the core of the project is a proprietary construction system developed to reconcile expressive form with industrial efficiency. The CNC-manufactured three-dimensional shell integrates a CLT load-bearing structure with insulation and waterproofing layers, enabling irregular geometries while reducing material waste. This approach shortens production time and ensures a high level of precision across all prefabricated components.

Logistics and installation were treated as integral design parameters rather than secondary considerations. The cabins can be delivered fully assembled within Europe or shipped flat-packed in standard sea containers for overseas projects. On site, installation requires approximately one day, while the ground screw foundation system eliminates the need for concrete and limits site disturbance.

Despite its compact dimensions, the interior is designed to provide the comfort of a luxury hotel suite for two occupants. The layout accommodates sleeping, dining, cooking, bathing, and wellness functions, including a panoramic infrared sauna and expansive glazing. Multiple units can be combined or reoriented, allowing spatial configurations to evolve over time and supporting a wide range of uses.

The New York installation demonstrates the system’s capacity to operate within dense metropolitan conditions. Five PEBL Grand units were assembled on a Brooklyn rooftop to serve as private retreat spaces for performers, offering views toward Manhattan. The project functions as a real-world test of how prefabricated architecture can adapt quickly to unconventional sites while maintaining architectural ambition.

Taken together, the PEBL Grand represents a synthesis of sculptural design, technical innovation, and logistical efficiency. By aligning expressive form with a refined construction system, the project proposes a future for small-scale architecture that is mobile, sustainable, and experiential, extending the possibilities of prefabrication beyond standard typologies and into new spatial territories.