The March Hare: Summer 1997
Issue 13

Cabin Design

by Aaron Corbin

O.K. Here's the task. Say you wanted to build a cabin, nothing fancy, just a simple room one could escape from the cold winds of winter in. Perhaps it's 10' x 12' or maybe a little bigger, and you wanted to build it in an Earth-friendly ecologically-sustainable way. How would you do it? What materials would you use? What methods?

Now pretend that you are going to build half a dozen of these little guys. Let your imagination run wild. Here is a chance to experiment with all sorts of wacky techniques. Old, new, untried, just thought of, half crazy, or hybrid techniques could all find a place in a group of little cabins. If one of the ideas proves unsound it's just a cabin so let your imagination run wild. Think about foundations, floors, walls, roofs, shape, ways to heat them; any aspect of design that exists. Then write them down, even if the ideas would make a building inspector laugh until rootbeer came out of his nose, and when you have a great list of your preferred experimental architecture types please send them to me.

I would go on to explain the design project I am working on, but I think I just did. I would also love any ideas concerning how these cabins would sit together. You can write to me (Aaron) at our postal address or respond to me via computer at halle@gte.net. (Web Committee Note: address no longer active)