Sustainable cabin house — Kipnis Architecture + Planning

‘2025 Green Good Design International Design Award’

Net Zero | On the Boards

Sustainable Cabin House | Marquette, WI

This highly sustainable and functional two bedroom showcase 850 sf home is a compact modern take on a traditional cabin retreat. A curved standing seam metal roof is supported on one end by retro columns to form an attached carport. On the interior, these curved glulam roof joists create a dramatic vaulted ceiling in the main great room and the two bedrooms. Glazing is largely focused in the public space, encouraging an indoor-outdoor connection from the kitchen and living area to an outdoor patio.

The design is essentially concrete free. Instead of traditional concrete foundation walls, the home has a protected floating floor supported by fiberglass piers. Since the home is adjacent to a flood plain, the foundation system is designed to stand above flood waters in the case of 100 year flood. The small footprint of the building also significantly reduces the embodied carbon of the project. Additionally, the single floor design is ADA ready with room for an accessible ramp.