Production  /  Case study

From a film to a visit.

Four films with Ark Shelter. Three are out, with 876,000 views. Then people planning new projects came to see the buildings in person.

Ark ShelterMartin MikovčákSlovakia and BelgiumFour films2026
Inside Atelier House: pale timber, copper pendant lamps and a storm sky reflected in the glass Watch Atelier House · 19:54
Atelier House · Martin’s own home · Kysuce, SlovakiaOur most watched film · 641,000 views

Prefab has an image problem. Martin Mikovčák answered it with his own house.

Martin co-founded Ark Shelter, a Slovak studio that builds homes in its own factory and sets them into the landscape.

Before summer 2026, we agreed with Ark Shelter on four films. Three are out: Martin’s own home in Kysuce, a cabin above the vineyards at Devín, and one of the first cabins the studio built, in Belgium. The fourth is on its way. Each one is told by the people who designed it.

From the response, the comments and the enquiries, we are sure of one thing: the films are bringing Martin people who want to build.

“People have a stigma about modular architecture. With my house I want to show it doesn’t need to be that way.”

Martin Mikovčák, in Atelier House
How we workedApril to October 2026

From a call to a visit.

  1. 0128 April 2026

    The first call

    A video call with Martin and his team. He shows us his own house and a cabin off the grid. We explain how we work: a short script, a walk through, then the shoot.

  2. 02May to June 2026

    The plan

    Four films agreed, in Slovakia and Belgium. Martin wants the grass high, we want to keep the momentum, so we settle on early July.

    4films agreed
  3. 033 July 2026

    The arrival

    We arrive in Slovakia and move into Martin’s own house.

    “You can use the house for how long you need it for the shooting.”Martin, on the first call
    Atelier House seen from the meadow, under a blue sky
  4. 04July 2026

    We eat together

    Dinner at Martin’s table, with the valley outside the window.

  5. 05July 2026

    We visit his projects

    Martin takes us to the buildings he designed, like Cabin Devín above the vineyards.

  6. 069 July 2026

    We walk through the factory

    Martin shows us where the Ark Shelter modules are built, drawings and all.

  7. 07July 2026

    The shoot

    We walk each house once before the cameras roll. Then one or two days per film, at the best moment, not the easiest one.

    Cabin Devín among the trees above the vineyards, at golden hour
  8. 08Always

    Good things take time.

    We never just come, shoot and leave. We get to know the place and the people first.

    The camera set up on the table by the window, next to a glass of wine
  9. 09Summer 2026

    Back home

    We prepare the films: edit, sound and colour.

  10. 10August 2026

    Martin’s review

    Martin gets the cut first and leaves his notes right on the timeline, so nothing surprises him on release day.

    Martin’s notes on the cut
    • 02:25“We can add video how I am closing it? Closing the roof?”
    • 04:10“Here somewhere we can add fotos from transport and placing units?”
    • 05:18“…foto of gluing the beams, ideally.”
    See the review on Frame.io ↗
  11. 11August to October 2026

    The release

    One by one, with other films in between.

    • 1 AugThe 30 m² cabin
    • 9 SepAtelier House
    • 9 OctCabin Devín
  12. 12September to October 2026

    The response

    The views, the comments, then the enquiries.

    641Kviews on Atelier House
    300+comments
    3countries asking to build
  13. 1327 October 2026

    The visit

    A few months after the shoot, people planning new projects sleep in Cabin Devín, then visit Atelier House.

    Cabin Devín lit up at night above the vineyards

    “That way they are visiting both projects.”Martin Mikovčák

01Watched

641,000 views on Atelier House alone.

876,000 across the three films, and still growing every day.

  1. Atelier House641K
    Kysuce, Slovakia · September 2026
  2. Cabin Devín141K
    Devín, Slovakia · October 2026
  3. The 30 m² cabin94K
    Stavele, Belgium · August 2026
3,818 hours
of Atelier House watched in a single week of September.
9,000
new views on Atelier House every two days, seven weeks after release.
3×
Cabin Devín’s views in twelve days, from 43,000 to 137,000.
From YouTube Studio
272,300
different people watched Atelier House in its first 48 days.
4.5M
times YouTube showed it to someone.
4.2%
of them clicked to watch.
4,400
new subscribers to our channel from Atelier House alone.

Views on YouTube, 27 October 2026. Unique viewers, impressions and click rate from YouTube Studio, 9 September to 27 October 2026. Watch time, subscribers and growth from YouTube Studio, September and October 2026.

02Asked

The comments read like enquiries.

Atelier House alone has more than 300. Six of them, as written.

The design
“I wonder if he can sell his design.”
On Atelier House
The plans
“Would you mind to share some construction plans?”
On Cabin Devín
The cost
“I’d love a guide on how much this cost.”
On Atelier House
The architect
“Is there more work from this architect on YT or elsewhere?”
On Atelier House
A stay
“I hope it is an Airbnb…”
On Cabin Devín
A house of their own
“When I build my own house, I’ll definitely borrow some ideas from this design.”
On Atelier House
03Enquired

Then the enquiries came.

Austria

A new house

Someone who watched a film wants Martin to build them a house.

Bengaluru

India

A client wants Martin to guide their local architect on a new house.

Türkiye

22 October 2026

A request to licence the Atelier House plans and build the house there.

As reported by Martin, October 2026. He now uses the films to introduce Ark Shelter to new clients.

The films All videos →
01Atelier HouseKysuce, Slovakia9 Sep 2026641K viewsWatch ▶
02Cabin DevínDevín, Slovakia9 Oct 2026141K viewsWatch ▶
03The 30 m² cabinStavele, Belgium1 Aug 202694K viewsWatch ▶
04The fourth filmArk ShelterComing soon
Two ways to work with us How it works →
Editorial

We choose the house. Filming is free.

A place on our channel can’t be bought. Selected projects can add a link, a film about the studio or a licence.

Commissioned

You choose the project. The film is yours.

Made for your website, your channels and your sales conversations.

Have a project finishing in the next six months?

Start the brief →

A few lines and a handful of pictures. We reply within 48 hours.

Sources. Views: YouTube, 27 October 2026. Watch time: YouTube Studio, 22 to 28 September 2026. Growth: YouTube Studio, 14 and 26 October 2026. Comments: YouTube, quoted as written. Enquiries and the visit: as reported by Martin Mikovčák, October 2026.