Hopland, California
Site Size: 16 acres
Project Size: 1,140 square feet
Program: The architects Grygoriy Ladigin, Casper Mork-Ulnes, and Andreas Tingulstad at SFOSL were commissioned to build a cabin for two couples to share in a remote town in Mendocino County, which is located along the Pacific Coast two hours north of San Francisco. With a modest budget of less than $200 per square foot, the clients wanted to spend roughly $200,000 for a residence that would take advantage of views of a mountaintop, a valley, and a rock formation while also preserving the oak trees scattered throughout the site.
Solution: The architects’ challenge was to capture all three views without obstructing the oak canopy. The roots of the oak trees are shallow and cannot support a conventional concrete perimeter foundation, so the architects raised the structure on stilts. The residence is separated into four spokes—three of the arms frame the views and the fourth acts as an entry to the cabin.
The wood frame structure is clad in unfinished raw steel panels. It is elevated on steel stilts, which are lodged in bedrock dispersed between the tree roots. The only exception is a small concrete foundation supporting the entry stair; a communal spa sinks into the concrete foundation. The interior surfaces are unfinished plywood and orientated strand board.
