Small House Style

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Canada’s Form & Forest present this unique cabin built on a pristine five-acre lot in the Rockies. Rather than go the traditional route of log homes, Form & Forest wanted to try something a little different.

This 360 degree glass design incorporates a shed roof that opens up one side of the structure, allowing in a cascade of light, quite the reverse of the more conventional small cabin windows set in thickly-logged walls. With two bedrooms and two sleeping lofts, it provides the perfect wilderness retreat for a mid-sized family.

Addressing the concerns of the remote locations were paramount in the logistics of construction, so Form & Forest, after pouring a concrete footing, formed the foundation from insulated concrete forms, which slot together like Legos. The forms are easily installed by two people. Here you see them ready for the application of concrete.

The walls come in prefabricated panels that erect quickly, which is always handy when you’re working in extreme temperatures.

Form & Forest worked with renowned designer D’Arcy Jones to create the elegant lines of the cabin, with such attention to detail as the lines in the wrap-around soffits matching their grooves to the vertical grooves in the siding.

The advantage the huge windows bring is coupling those inside with the environment. The reason the original pioneer cabins were so small was because most of the inhabitants’ life was spent outside, hunting, repairing, farming, gathering firewood, etc. They were also easier to heat in the winter, therefore requiring less fuel.

This modern, updated Form & Forest version allows that same sense of intimacy with the surroundings, while the owners remain comfortably inside. So while the term “pioneer” may be a tad misleading in the name of the design and lifestyle it engenders, it’s the feeling of closeness with nature that justifies its use.

All images courtesy of Form&Forest.

Via Inhabitat and Materialicious.