Kariouk Architects

m.o.r.e. Cabin


m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy

m.o.r.e. Cabin

Kariouk Architects

PHOTOS
Scott Norsworthy (36), Kariouk Architects (3)

SIZE
0 Sqft - 1000 Sqft

BUDGET
$500k - 1m

YEAR
2021

LOCATION
Wakefield, Canada

TYPE
Residential › Private House

M.O.R.E. CABIN

The paradigmatic North American cottage is romanticized as a wilderness log cabin.

m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy
m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy

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.

m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy
m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy

The m.o.r.e. Cabin inverts this idea through a separation from the landscape that is more sustainably constructed than other cottages.

This unravelling of eco-fictions is not cynical, but optimistic: while organic environments are being degraded, what remains can be engaged more responsibly.

m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy
m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy

To this end, m.o.r.e. Cabin touches the land lightly through: 1)Interpreting the law creatively to uphold its principles. 2) Reducing foundation size through a steel mast.

3) Low-waste cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure.
4) Achieving greater tensile strength through a “folded” structure.

m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy
m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy

5) Off-grid power and high-efficiency heating. 6) Creating a home for endangered bats.

INTERPRETING THE LAW WITH FINESSE

Zoning rules required a 100-foot (30-metre) setback from the lake.

m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy
m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy

A cliff face at that 100-foot mark was incorporated into the design, whereas conventional construction approaches would entail blasting.

To minimize harm to the hillside and forest, a zoning variance was obtained to allow the front of m.o.r.e. Cabin to hover above, rather than sit on, the 100-foot (30-metre) mark.

m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy
m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy
m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy

THE MAST

The technical solution to the environmental issue involved a single concrete footing and a steel “mast” placed within the required setback.

Avoiding a conventional large foundation preserved the watershed and prevented erosion, as did elevating the construction zone.

Use of carbon-intensive concrete was also reduced for a lower carbon footprint.

m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy
m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy
m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy

M.O.R.E. THAN ONE WAY TO SKIN A HOME

m.o.r.e. Cabin is built with suitably-sourced CLT panels and glulam beams.

The CLT was milled offsite then hoisted into place, avoiding damage to the landscape by the maneuvering of construction machinery.

CABIN-AS-BEAM

m.o.r.e. Cabin’s environmental considerations yielded structural innovation.

m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy
m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy

Our challenge became to develop a structural strategy using cantilevered CLT panels as a response to the zoning variance that we obtained;

CLT is fundamentally deployed in vertical/compressive sections, not horizontally in tension.

m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy
m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy

Conventional 5-ply CLT is too heavy to support itself over longer spans.

The solution used thinner 3-ply CLT, with structural capacity ensured through “folding” (just like paper gains strength when folded).

m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy
m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy

OFF-GRID

The home is solar-powered.
The elevated cottage catches more breezes and has excellent cross-ventilation.

Heat is provided by a high-efficiency “green carbon” wood stove.  Good R-value and thermal comfort are provided by CLT’s mass, and precise joinery provides air-tightness.

m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy
m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy

INVITING OVER THE NEIGHBOURS

One goal of the home was to create extensive lodging for endangered brown bats.

Bat pods were integrated into the mast to provide safety from climbing predators and a clear flight path to the lake. *“m.o.r.e.” stands for the clients’ grandmothers’ names; all of whom did more with less — and gracefully so.

m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy


m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy
m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy
m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy
m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy
m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy
m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy
m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy
m.o.r.e. Cabin
© Scott Norsworthy


Kariouk Architects
T +1 613 5622211
Kariouk Architects
179 George St #1204, Ottawa, ON K1N 1J8, Canada