An architecturally designed contemporary cabin
From the outset, Life Space Cabins decided we didn’t want to do boring.
We wanted to work on fun projects with people who have project ideas that call for dynamic and playful thinking.
This contemporary cabin is a striking example of this ambition. Our clients were open to ideas and with their own appreciation of good design and architecture we knew we would create something special.
The result was a low-profile modern pavilion with plenty of glass, a veranda and cantilevered flat sedum roof supported on a steel frame.
Cabin Brief
When we first met the clients their brief was to design and build a cabin summer house which offered not only extra space for the busy times when wider family and friends members descended to this beautiful spot for the summer but allowed for views down to the Cornish creek, garden and the countryside beyond, all year round.
The space would become an asset to the primary dwelling and give pleasure and comfort for many years. The cabin would not require mains services, gas, water, sewerage but require electricity which would be fed from the house or the outbuilding adjacent to the house. The cabin would need to have the ability to be fully closed up with shutters when the owners would be away from the house for any period of time.
At the centre of the design brief Life Space cabins were asked to create;
- A well considered architecturally designed cabin using natural materials.
- A simple, bright white washed timber interior maximising the available light.
- A building where the whole corner can be opened to allow uninterrupted views across the landscape.
- A wide, generous veranda and deep overhanging green roof.
Structure
This cantilevered steel frame structure allows the front of the building to be column free. Hence there is a series of folding doors that can open the corner completely to one side and a glass to glass corner with a window seat to the other corner.
Orientation
The cabin was orientated to capture the countryside views, located on the same spot as the current summer house.
Materials
There were sustainability aspirations for the materials, whereby the cabin was designed and constructed using appropriately specific materials and technologies.
Allowing for the cabin to nestle into its surroundings we carefully chose considered natural materials with an architectural edge.
Pre-weathered, square section douglas fir vertical battens fixed between a steel frame which was the basis for the main structure. Similarly the steel frame timber shutters that close off the cabin to any prevailing weather would be top hung and manually operated.
The two end external elevations included random coursed natural slate cladding from Decarock to mirror the vernacular material of slate that Cornwall is so well known for. The sedum roof was fitted by a green roof specialist and included concealed rainwater pipes detailing. Internally the Decarock slate was included on the wide chimney breasts which housed a Contura 810L log burner with slate hearth.
American white ash was chosen for the flooring (fitted in random lengths) and as well as the window seat and for the bespoke hand crafted fitted cupboard all of which complemented the slate and gave an overall sense of a light and airy space.
Planning
The existing small summer house building being a single storey, single skin, timber clad structure was simply not fit for purpose. The owners wanted to replace it with something with architectural quality and that would be more keeping with the nature of the site.
The location is in an area of AONB and therefore had special considerations with regards to build timings and the context the new cabin would be sited.
The overall result is an contrasting cabin that elegantly sits between modern architecture and nature.
