The project’s moniker, m.o.r.e., is derived from the first preliminary of the clients’ grandmothers. These 4 women, all immigrants with very difficult however joyous lives, have been instrumental in nurturing skillsets whereby more was always done with less, and graciously so.
The paradigmatic North American cottage is romanticized as a log cabin in the wilderness. In actuality, these cottages are “woodsy” variations of suburban homes and include every modern convenience. These buildings help to sustain the myth that by appearing to be at one with the land, their owners are making much less of an impression on the environment.
The m.o.r.e. Cabin inverts this idea through a separation from the landscape that’s much more sustainably constructed than other cottages. This intention to unravel eco-fictions is just not one in every of cynicism, but rather responsible optimism. Whereas all organic environments continue to be degraded, what remains could be engaged more responsibly.
m.o.r.e. Cabin touches the land lightly, engaging flora and fauna as equal partners and tenants. m.o.r.e. Cabin pursues this goal in a number of ways:
- Interpreting the law creatively to uphold its principles.
- Utilizing a steel mast to reduce the size of the foundation.
- Low-waste cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure.
- Utilizing a “folded” structure for larger tensile strength.
- Off-grid power and high-efficiency heating.
- Creating a house for endangered local bats.
This simple building has no extraneous elements by way of its task to provide for human shelter. Although it has no extra elements, it does outline ways in which nuanced consideration of legal codes, building technology, structure, and ethics could be brought to bear upon each other, yielding an unexpected outcome.
The looks of this “simple” home didn’t emerge in a traditional design-studio sense, however as the consequence of entwining the basic knowledge, now we have in terms of structures, technology, and professional practice.
m.o.r.e. Cabin is powered by solar units
For cooling, the cottage makes excellent use of breezes and cross-ventilation through its 12-foot interior height and its extra height above the lake. Even though the cabin is elevated about 20 m above the ground, its south-facing glazed wall is shaded in the warmer months by the surrounding tree canopy. In winter, the bare branches allow plenty of sunlight to enter through the large windows and help heat the home.
Kariouk Architects
While many architecture firms pride themselves on having a trademark style that distinguishes them from their competition, Kariouk proudly stands behind the fact that we do not have anyone look that identifies us as distinctly Kariouk.
If anything, our trademark is that no two of our projects look the same. Because we tackle each creative undertaking with a new lens, our final results are always informed by an entirely different set of criteria and inspiration. It is deeply important to us that we fully understand the lives and needs of the people we work with.
Whether it is a commercial or residential project – a new build or major renovation – it is an immersive and personalized approach that leads us to our best work – work that is intelligent, beautiful, meaningful, and enduring.
