The paradigmatic North American cottage is romanticized as a wilderness log cabin. Nonetheless, typical cottages are “woodsy” versions of suburban homes with every modern convenience. These buildings sustain the myth that appearing to be one with the land equates to a reduced impact on the environment. The m.o.r.e. Cabin, which is designed by Kariouk Architects, inverts this idea through a separation from the landscape that is more sustainably constructed than other cottages. This unraveling of eco-fictions is not cynical, but optimistic: while organic environments are being degraded, what remains can be engaged more responsibly.
The m.o.r.e. Cabin touches the land lightly through:
– Interpreting the law creatively to uphold its principles.
– Reducing foundation size through a steel mast.
– Low-waste cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure.
– Achieving greater tensile strength through a “folded” structure.
– Off-grid power and high-efficiency heating.
– Creating a home for endangered bats.
