the lakeside shelter and the desert outpost

Seattle based Olson Kundig Architects  idea for the cabin is that of a lakeside shelter in the woods, a little box with a big windows that opens to the surrounding landscape. The cabin’s big window-wall  opens the entire living space to the forest and lake. The materials selection are low maintenance concrete block, steel, concrete floors and plywood in keeping with the notion of a cabin, and left unfinished to naturally age and acquire a patina that gives an industrial edge to this cabin.

Set in the remote and harsh high desert landscape of Idaho, Outpost is a residence and studio, workshop for making and displaying art. An important aspect of the complex is the protected “paradise garden,” which is separated from the wild landscape by thick concrete walls. The materials used in the structure, including concrete block, car-decking, and plywood, require little or no maintenance, and are capable of withstanding the extreme weather that characterize the desert’s four seasons.

to see more by Olson Kundig Architects

images credited to OKA