Olson Kundig

Sol Duc Cabin

SOL DUC CABIN

Olson Kundig

Sol Duc Cabin
© Benjamin Benschneider
Sol Duc Cabin
© Benjamin Benschneider

ARCHITECTS
Olson Kundig

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
MCE Consultants

MANUFACTURERS
Argent Steel, Universal Steel

GENERAL CONTRACTOR
Schuchart/Dow

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Tom Kundig (Design Principal), Edward Lalonde (Project Manager)

CIVIL ENGINEER
Zanovic and Associates

AREA
400 ft²

YEAR
2011

LOCATION
Beaver, United States

CATEGORY
Houses

Sol Duc Cabin
© Benjamin Benschneider
Sol Duc Cabin
© Benjamin Benschneider
Sol Duc Cabin
© Benjamin Benschneider

Text description provided by architect.

This 350-square-foot cabin is a small perch for its occupant. When you’re inside or on the deck, you are raised up above the landscape with an excellent view out onto the Sol Duc River.

And the interior is like a warm, dry nest. It is located in one of the few temperate rainforests in the world, and “rainforest” here means wet and rather cold, as opposed to wet and hot. Putting the cabin on stilts protects it from the clammy dampness and occasional flooding.

Sol Duc Cabin
© Benjamin Benschneider
Sol Duc Cabin
© Benjamin Benschneider

The owner is an avid steelhead fisherman, and the Sol Duc has some of the best steelhead fishing in Washington State. The design allows him and his wife to arrive at this remote location, open the place up, and get to fishing as quickly as possible.

The shutters are operated manually via custom steel rods. The large panels slide on hardware that was originally designed for sliding barn doors, attached to the steel roof beam structure.

Sol Duc Cabin
© Benjamin Benschneider
Sol Duc Cabin
© Benjamin Benschneider
Sol Duc Cabin
© Benjamin Benschneider

That it seals up entirely when not in use is important partly because the location is so remote and also because the elements can be punishing.

Although the building is virtually indestructible: it’s made of unfinished, mild steel and structural insulated panels. The insides are mostly wood, for a sense of warmth.

The materials are a direct response to the surrounding wilderness. Most of the cabin was prefabricated off-site, which minimized construction wastage and site disruption.

The loft floor is made from two-by-fours the owner had on site. We simply stacked and glued the pieces together, then threaded bolts through the stack to secure it.

Sol Duc Cabin
© Benjamin Benschneider


Sol Duc Cabin
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Sol Duc Cabin
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Olson Kundig
T +1 206 6245670 F +1 206 6243730
Olson Kundig
159 S Jackson St # 600, Seattle, WA 98104, United States