The cabin in the woods is one of the purest and most aspirational forms of shelter. Architect Simon Montgomery’s Vancouver-based practice, SM Studio, has created this contemporary update of the classic form – a forest retreat for a client in British Columbia. SM Studio’s low-energy ethos is driven by a commitment to sustainability, creating projects that touch the ground lightly and use natural materials along with highly insulated interiors and ultra-efficient ways of generating and saving energy.
On Bowen Island, a heavily forested piece of land a few kilometres from Vancouver’s waterfront, the studio had the chance to put its approach into practice. The Forest House is nestled amongst the surrounding Douglas firs, but also up above the rocky landscape.
In order to minimise the impact of the house on the forest floor, SM has turned the structure into a bridge that spans two large outcrops to leave clear space below and reduce the need to blast foundations into the rock.
The structure itself uses a combination of concrete slab and timber structure, with a steel framework used to span the gap. The blackened Western red cedar exterior cladding creates a hard-wearing outer shell.
The interior is accessed through poured concrete steps, and the main living space reaches up to the rafters, complete with the custom joinery fashioned in Douglas fir. Roof lights provide glimpses of the treetops from within.
A separate building containing an office space, a car port, a utility room and a wood store is set at an angle to the house. The main house contains two bedrooms, one en-suite, with carefully planned space for a walk-in closet, laundry room and pantry.
The second bedroom has a high-level bunk, and the floorplan also accommodates a generous flexible space adjoining the kitchen, with space for a desk and storage. Large windows bring the outside in and maximise light, even on the forest floor.
In addition to providing accommodation for three, the Forest House brief stipulated covered outdoor space, giving the owners somewhere to sit out amidst nature even in the wettest Pacific North-West weather.
The clients formerly lived and worked in Vancouver and chose SM Studio to create a house that emphasises the relationship to the landscape and a slower, more season-driven pace of life.
INFORMATION
-
How 2024 brought beauty and fashion closer than ever before2024 was a year when beauty and fashion got closer than ever before, with runway moments, collaborations and key launches setting the scene for 2025 and beyond
-
This listed house in London is transformed through a contemporary celebration of the archSegmental House, a listed house transformation by Dominic McKenzie Architects, taps into the playful powers of the contemporary arch
-
The Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II glides into the DMs of the world’s 1 per centThe Series II version of the ‘Baby Rolls’ has slight but sophisticated revisions to keep this hefty saloon in the targets of an increasingly idiosyncratic and individualist buyer
-
This sustainable family home is an Ontario retreat in tune with its settingRidge House by Superkül is a private Canadian retreat that nods to its context and embraces nature and landscape
-
Bunkie on The Hill is a cosy Canadian cottage full of charmBunkie on The Hill, a design by Dubbeldam Architecture + Design, is tucked into the trees, slotting neatly into Ontario's nature
-
A dramatic new lakeside cabin in the Canadian wilderness rises above the treesKariouk Architects' lakeside cabin ‘m.o.r.e. CLT’ explores new material approaches while making a minimal impact on a precious landscape
-
Forest Retreat is a new low-energy family house in the forests of OntarioSet beneath a vast roof, Forest Retreat is a rich mix of local materials, craftsmanship and space for an extended family to get together in the heart of nature
-
A modernist lakeside cottage in Ontario provides a perfect backdrop for family vacationsA lakeside cottage by Canadian studio Dubbeldam Architecture + Design has been shaped as a modest multigenerational retreat to accommodate the surrounding wilderness
-
Remembering Alexandros Tombazis (1939-2024), and the Metabolist architecture of this 1970s eco-pioneerBack in September 2010 (W*138), we explored the legacy and history of Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis, who this month celebrates his 80th birthday.
-
Sun-drenched Los Angeles houses: modernism to minimalismFrom modernist residences to riveting renovations and new-build contemporary homes, we tour some of the finest Los Angeles houses under the Californian sun
-
Visit a cubic Canadian cabin in the woods: welcome to Rustic GradeMaurice Martel has designed a contemporary cabin in the woods, Rustic Grade, to make the most of a sylvan plot to the north of Montreal
