Hello Wood, a Hungarian architectural design and build studio, has successfully launched their groundbreaking PEBL Grand modular cabin concept in New York, marking a significant milestone in prefabricated architecture. The company recently installed five PEBL Grand units on a Brooklyn entertainment venue's rooftop terrace, offering stunning panoramic views of Manhattan. These innovative pebble-shaped cabins represent the culmination of four years of architectural development and showcase the future of small-scale, sustainable architecture.
"The PEBL Grand debuted in New York as a larger, upgraded version of the PEBL One, also known as the Workstation Cabin, a dream come true," said András Huszár, co-founder and CEO of Hello Wood. The project was made possible by a returning client who previously commissioned a special airplane-shaped cabin called the Jet House as a dream project for his 12-year-old daughter. This client's openness to innovative ideas enabled the prototype development that eventually brought these cabins all the way to New York.
Hello Wood's evolution from organizing architectural creative camps to becoming a full-service product-developing design and build studio demonstrates their commitment to "thinking outside the box." The company gained initial recognition through public installations but has since expanded into accommodation developments, drawing on experiences from establishing and operating their Kapolcsi Sziklák Resort to launch their own glamping era.
The PEBL Grand completely reimagines the potential of prefabricated architecture through its unique design approach. Its appearance is both organic and futuristic, merging premium-level comfort with environmental awareness while combining technological innovation with nature-inspired forms. The design, reminiscent of space capsules or geological formations, breaks away from traditional right-angled architectural norms. This pebble-shaped cabin, defined by a "low-poly" design language, can seamlessly integrate into both natural and urban environments, including previously unused rooftops.
Behind this sculptural structure lies Hello Wood's own patented, proprietary construction system. The CNC-manufactured three-dimensional shell structure combines a solid wood CLT (Cross-Laminated Timber) load-bearing core with insulating and waterproof layers. This innovation enables the creation of complex spatial forms and irregular geometries while reducing material waste and assembly time. The design is highly adaptable to various environments and client needs, with maintenance-free exterior cladding options including wood, stone, aluminum, or even mirror finishes that can either blend into surroundings or intentionally stand out.
The production and installation process emphasizes predictability and speed. The capsules can be fully prefabricated, assembled, and delivered turnkey-ready throughout Europe, while for more distant locations, they are shipped flat-packed in standard sea containers. On-site installation of the prefabricated cabin takes approximately one day, with necessary site preparation completed in just half a day thanks to the ground screw foundation system that requires no concrete base, minimizing environmental impact.
Despite their compact size, the cabins offer a complete user experience with the comfort and quality of a five-star, two-person hotel suite. Features include a king-size bed, dining area, kitchen, bathroom, panoramic infrared sauna, and large glass surfaces. The cabins are fully customizable in functionality and materials, tailored to specific client needs, and can be expanded with additional PEBL units for flexible spatial layouts. These uniquely shaped, sculptural land art objects can be rotated and relocated, showing different faces from every angle like irregularly shaped pebbles.
The versatility of these cabins allows for nearly endless applications. They can serve as festival resting areas, meditation studios, creative workspaces, exclusive guest rooms, or private saunas. In the New York installation, the five PEBL Grand units were placed in the backstage area of the Brooklyn entertainment venue, where they serve as stylish and comfortable resting spaces for performers.
"The PEBL Grand is the result of years of dedicated development, which has taken Hello Wood all the way from Budapest to New York," explained Tamás Fülöp, one of the lead architects of the PEBL Grand. The project represents an experiment in how architecture can adapt and evolve to meet contemporary demands: mobility, sustainability, speed, and experience. Through the combination of sculptural aesthetics, a unique structural system, and an environmentally conscious approach, this Hungarian design studio has created a piece that embodies the future of small-scale architecture, opening new paths in the field while offering practical solutions for diverse needs in locations around the world.
