Firmitas.

Over the next few posts, I will attempt to use simple diagramming to filter out some of the main concepts behind the Archetype design. These will form the basis of my cabin design, and allow me to extrapolate and improve on the design ideas set down by my exemplar architect.

This diagram depicts the way Kundig manipulates space to disorient the user. His designs often incorporate dramatic spatial choreography, as user move from narrow spaces to wide open ones, always with a small hint of what is to come in order to build anticipation.

The framing of natural views was a big consideration in the brief for Chicken Point Cabin, and Tom has addressed it in a way that is nothing short of spectacular. However, it is not just the huge wall which frames the view of a nearby mountainside, but also the bedrooms and the shower. Every single window has a purpose.

The way Kundig uses several tonnes of pivoting glass and steel to open the house to the environment is a completely unique design solution. This provides a solution for space, ventilation, and lighting all in one. Not to mention its pretty damn cool.

A diagram showing the way spaces appear to have been 'inserted' into the whole. Kundig uses this method in a number of his designs, always to dramamtic effect.