Tim Bies
The cabin's exterior skin will be allowed to weather naturally. …
olson kundig architects, seattle
In Tom Kundigâs hands, a weekend cabin isnât just a cabin, but a metaphor for something else. Here itâs a hard shell with a soft, cozy center.
The one-room interior is wrapped in wood, and what caught the judgesâ attention was the steel panel that slides across the window wall, securing the solitary structure when the owner is away. One found poetry in âthe idea of this shell that you peel back when youâre in the house.â Another noted that closing the door âis a viscerally felt activity that makes you feel what itâs like to be there and then go away.â
The panelâoperated by hand like a barn doorâis commodity steel pulled off a stack before fabrication. Kundig, FAIA, let the lettering stand as âan authentic mark of its history and in the spirit of allowing materials to age naturally with no âprotectiveâ coating that needs maintenance.â
Project Credits
principal in charge / project architect: Tom Kundig, FAIA, Olson Kundig Architects, http://www.olsonkundigarchitects.com/
general contractor: Withheld
construction cost: Withheld
photography: Tim Bies