OLSON CABIN
Longbranch, United States What began as a 200-square-foot bunkhouse in 1959 has seen the addition of several interconnected rooms through a series of remodels in 1981, 1997, 2003 and 2014. Each successive expansion and remodel has reused and integrated the previous structure rather than erasing it, revealing the history of the architecture and the process of its evolution.
In the 1980s, the retreat consisted of three tiny pavilions linked by wooden platforms. In 2003, the pavilions were connected by a unifying roof, creating a single form grounded onto the hillside and projecting out over the landscape. The living room’s large wall of glass frames a view of the adjoining grassy field and Puget Sound, visually blending the indoors and outdoors. In 2014, a master bedroom and two guest rooms were added, creating a retreat of 2,400 square feet. |
In 1912, Jim Olson’s grandparents built a summer cottage on a forested site on Puget Sound. Olson spent summers and many weekends there as a child. When he was eighteen years old and a first-year architecture student, his dad gave him five hundred dollars and said, “Go build a bunkhouse.” This was Olson’s first great opportunity. Nestled amidst the trees of this waterside forest and raised on stilts, this tiny cabin sat respectfully on the landscape. When his grandparents’ cottage was destroyed by fire in the 1960s, the bunkhouse was left as the sole structure on the property. The cabin is intentionally subdued in color and texture, allowing it to recede into the woods and defer to the beauty of the landscape. Materials enhance this natural connection, reflecting the silvery hues of the overcast Northwest sky and tying the building to the forest floor. Simple, readily available materials were used throughout: wood-framed walls are sheathed in plywood or recycled boards, inside and outside; doubled pairs of steel columns support beams that in turn support exposed roof structures. Interior spaces appear to flow seamlessly to the outside as materials continue from inside to out through invisible sheets of glass. |
The cabin has been a work in progress since it began, with each transformation acknowledging the changing priorities of its designer: first a bunkhouse for friends, then an experimental weekend retreat for a young couple and family, and now, a quiet place for contemplation and creative work, and a comfortable place for visiting grandchildren, extended family and friends. The cabin has also become a touchpoint for Olson’s work worldwide, with each iteration of the retreat marking a point of evolution in his architectural career. What has remained unchanged is Olson’s deep reverence for nature and his admiration of the site’s beauty.
A modern “Hermits Cabin”
Parra + Edwards Arquitectos designed
this modern studio cabin in the forest outside
Santiago, Chile.
La Nave Anacoreta (“Hermit’s Ship”) was conceived
as a small boat floating in a sea of foliage.
It provides a quiet, secluded place for a single
individual to reflect and create away from
the distractions of the city.
Parra + Edwards Arquitectos designed
this modern studio cabin in the forest outside
Santiago, Chile.
La Nave Anacoreta (“Hermit’s Ship”) was conceived
as a small boat floating in a sea of foliage.
It provides a quiet, secluded place for a single
individual to reflect and create away from
the distractions of the city.
The cabin was designed as a glass house surrounded by three wooden slat decks which can be raised by a hydraulic system of winches, wire rope, pivoting sheaves and lead blocks, which can be raised to serve as shutters, completely closing off the cabin. When they are open, the shutter-decks serve as an outdoor living space, connecting to the interior with 10 foot tall windows and sliding doors.
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A Writers Retreat
This tiny modern cabin of just 500 square feet located on False Bay, San Juan Islands in northwest Washington State. The cottage serves as a private writer’s retreat and guest cottage. The owners requested to have a space that would feel totally connected to the natural landscape, which would enable them to take full advantage of the mild climate, scenic views and the proximity to wildlife. They also needed the structure to be easily secured when not in use. |
Pavilion In the Woods | Stekke + Fraas
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The owner of this small house wanted a home connected with nature, so architects Stekke + Fraas suggested building in the most forested part of the lot. Being built on a steep slope and raised on concrete piers, the downslope side of the house is about 12 feet above ground level. The living room windows look out right into the tree canopy, giving the home a treehouse feel.
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This cabin is wrapped on two sides with a screen of spaced cedar slats. From the inside looking out, it gives the feeling of being in a bird hide, a camouflaged shelter for viewing wildlife. The slats filter the incoming light and cast ever-changing shadows. The cedar screen gives way to large openings facing the lake, meeting the owners’ request that they be able to watch the sunset from bed.
This small house is located near Mar Azul, a coastal village south of Buenos Aires. It was placed among a grove of pine trees, with holes incorporated into the deck and roof overhang to accommodate the existing trees. The goal for BAK Arquitectos was to design a low-cost and low-maintenance summer house. |
This small studio was born of the client’s wish for a quiet retreat surrounded by nature in which to cherish the memories of his wife and the life they shared. The structure was placed among rock outcrops at the back of the owner’s property, still partly visible from the main residence yet worlds away. |
The Black Shed sits low and hunkered against the wind on Scotland’s Isle of Skye. The small cottage replaced a dilapidated storage shed on a working croft (small farm). Rural Design Architects designed the new cottage to fit in with the collection of small outbuildings on the croft.
At an elevation of 1,400 m in South Tyrol, Italy, this mountain lodge offers enviable views of alpine meadows, forests, and the jagged fangs of the Dolomites. The lodge is composed of two buildings, a main cabin and an adjacent studio sleeping cabin. Both were based on the gabled form of traditional structures in the region, but were executed with a strong contemporary flair by EM2 Architekten. |