Cedar cottage outside Montreal by Ravi Handa maximises its compact footprint

The primary bedroom overlooks a double-height living space in this wooden cottage by Montreal-based architect Ravi Handa, making the compact home feel much larger than its size.

Completed last year, the diminutive cabin was designed to maximise living space within a relatively small footprint of 1,500 square feet (139 square metres).

Chalet Pic-Bois is clad in cedar

Despite its size, the architect included three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a sauna within the home.

Dubbed Chalet Pic-Bois (Woodpecker Cottage) the property is located near Brome Lake, a popular skiing and hiking destination outside Montreal.

The cabin has a double-height living space

Entrance to the cedar-clad home is from the north side, where a covered portico protects a full-height glass door.

The ground floor contains a children's bedroom, bathroom, and sauna, as well as the open-concept kitchen, living and dining space that opens to a patio on the southwest corner of the building.

Vaulted ceilings give the home a cathedral-like feel

One of the ways in which Handa made the interiors feel more spacious was to create a double-height living space that is open to the primary bedroom. Built as a mezzanine, this configuration makes both rooms feel larger.

"Thanks to the vaulted ceilings and the internal organisation that compresses some rooms in order to give the living room more openness, the Woodpecker Cottage fosters an open and airy expression," said the architect.

The interior palette comprises wood, neutral and black tones

Upstairs, the primary bedroom and a guest room share a restroom on the landing.

"The poplar boards that cover the cathedral ceiling are visible in every room upstairs," said Handa. "This creates a relationship between the rooms, while also making them feel larger."

Throughout the home, the architect took care to curate views of the surrounding forest.

In the living room, a glazed corner creates continuity from the interior to the outdoors.

The primary bedroom overlooks the living space

Other openings are more selective, offering framed vistas of the red maples and quaking aspens that surround the home.

A simple palette of pale wood tones and monochromatic accents rounds out the design, creating a tranquil atmosphere for this isolated retreat.

The property is located near Brome Lake, a popular skiing and hiking destination outside Montreal

Handa's eponymous firm, Ravi Handa Architect, recently completed a wine bar that it co-owns called Stem, and a home in neighbouring Ontario that the studio designed in partnership with AAmp Studio.

The photography is by Maxime Brouillet.

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Project credits:

Architecture: Ravi Handa Architect
Contractor: Construction N.H. Blanchette

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SOM weaves small wood pieces into SPLAM pavilion at Chicago Architecture Biennial

SOM has worked with the University of Michigan's Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning to explore a low-carbon alternative to conventional timber framing called SLT and build a pavilion to demonstrate its capabilities.

Partly inspired by cross-laminated timber (CLT) – the engineered wood made strong by gluing strips of timber together in a crisscross pattern – spatial laminated timber or SLT involves weaving small precision-cut wood beams together to make one large stable structure.

The SPLAM pavilion is situated outside of EPIC Academy's South Shore campus and is accessible to the public during the Chicago Architecture Biennial

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) worked with a university group led by professors Tsz Yan Ng and Wes McGee on the innovation, which they have used to make the SPLAM (ie SPatial LAMinated timber) pavilion. It is now on display as part of the 2021 Chicago Architecture Biennial.

They say SLT presents a more sustainable, lower-carbon alternative to conventional timber framing systems for two reasons. First, it opens up the possibility of using wood from rapidly renewable forests or even salvaged components from deconstructed buildings, because the pieces required are small.

Second, it requires less timber overall than other methods of building framing. SOM estimates that it reduces material use by 46 per cent compared to CLT panels.

The pavilion explores spatially laminated timber as a sustainable and efficient way to create framing for buildings

"'SPLAM' stands for 'spatial laminated', referring to the way that the conventional two-dimensional cross laminated timber system has been exploded to create a three dimensional matrix of timber members," SOM design partner Scott Duncan told Dezeen.

"The resulting introduction of depth allows for the subtle arching of forces that in turn results in less structural material."

If used across an entire building, SOM says SLT could dramatically reduce timber consumption and overall carbon footprint.

The wood is woven together to create a strong and stable structure

The architects see SLT being used as prefabricated panels in low- to mid-rise construction, where conventional wood framing is allowed by the building code and often selected as the most economical option.

"SLT is durable and dimensionally stable like CLT and offers a similar level of fire
protection as conventional wood framing," said SOM structural engineering director Benton Johnson.

"SLT can further reduce the material and energy consumption of buildings at this scale and represents a sustainable alternative between conventional framing and CLT."

The SPLAM pavilion is a full-scale, single-storey prototype of such an SLT framing system. It is made of 912 pieces of wood, connected through 12 layers of interlocking joinery that draws inspiration from ancient Japanese techniques.

To design it, SOM first ran a series of structural analyses to find an optimised layout that minimised material use.

SOM's structural group then developed the design through computational modelling, while the architects investigated and tested appropriate joinery techniques.

SLT allows for the use of small pieces of timber, like those salvaged from deconstructed buildings

Finally, at Taubman College's Digital Fabrication Lab, robots cut wood pieces – specifically, spruce-pine-fir from a local lumber supplier – into the precise shapes required.

"A CNC machine custom shaped hundreds of unique timber members to a high degree of precision that would have been all but impossible to achieve by hand," said Duncan.

He said the process was notable for its efficiency as well as its sustainability.

The wood pieces are precision cut using the robotic assistance of CNC machines

"What was remarkable was how quickly the fabrication was completed," said Duncan. "The fabrication of the entirety of the 912 members took about three weeks."

The SPLAM pavilion is installed at Chicago high school EPIC Academy's South Shore campus, where it will host performances during the Biennial.

Afterwards, the pavilion will remain on the site and function as an outdoor classroom and performance venue.

The pavilion is a permanent installation that will serve as an outdoor classroom and performance venue

SOM is a global architecture practice that was founded in Chicago and has a history dating back to 1936.

Its best known buildings include the tallest building in the world, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, and New York's One World Trade Center, while its recent projects include Moon Village, a concept for lunar settlement developed with the European Space Agency.

SPLAM is open on Saturdays from 12 to 5pm for the duration of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, from 17 September to 31 December 2021.

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Project credits

Partners: Autodesk, McHugh Construction, Gremley & Biedermann, and REX Engineering Group

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Leeds Beckett University presents nine architecture and design projects

A "Recycled Fun Palace" and pottery studios for autistic and non-verbal people are included in Dezeen's latest school show by Leeds Beckett University. 

Also included is a project that imagines a post-viral Blackpool and another that explores the idea that colonising another planet is the solution to climate change.

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Leeds Beckett University

School: Leeds Beckett University, Leeds School of Architecture
Courses: BA(Hons) Architecture, BA(Hons) Landscape Architecture and Design, BA(Hons) Interior Architecture and Design, MA Landscape Architecture, Master of Architecture (MArch)
Tutors: Claire Hannibal, Tom Vigar, Simon Warren, Keith Andrews, Doreen Bernath, Nick Tyson, John Maccleary, Chris Royffe, Sarah Mills, George Epolito, Mohammad Taleghani, Alia Fadel, Amanda Wanner and Maryam Osman

School statement:

"Leeds School of Architecture questions what architecture and the built environment can contribute to the world we live in from a cultural, social and political point of view. As a result, we have expanded modes of practice, research, and inter-disciplinary work to inform new critical voices and collectively empower creative minds to tackle our current environmental and ethical challenges.

"Our continued school ethos of collaboration enables new design problems and solutions to emerge, and the projects exhibited within this showcase crucially engage with this theme.

"There have been many student successes as a result of the school's continued collective action, studio agendas, and the commitment of its students and course staff teams.

"During 20/21, opportunities for our students to locate their practice in wider contexts included collaborations on projects with Crescent Arts - Scarborough, the Forestry Commission, Henshaws Specialist College, Leeds Art Gallery, Portsmouth University, Temple University - Philadelphia, New Wortley Community Association, CATCH (Community Action to Create Hope) - Harehills, Halifax Opportunities Trust, and MAP Charity, Leeds.

"The work presented brings together student work from across the following programmes: BA(Hons) Architecture, BA(Hons) Interior Architecture, and Design, BA(Hons) Landscape Architecture and Design, MA Landscape Architecture and Master in Architecture (MArch)."

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The Survivor's Sanctuary (The Black Plague of Blackpool, The Walking Dead) by Dominic Stewart

"Once a hamlet by the sea, Blackpool emerged as a significant seaside destination for the well-to-do in the nineteenth century. Since this period of boom, however, it has suffered a decline, and although it remains a destination, it currently exists in two states lodged between the permanent – its residents – and the transitory – its fleeting visitors.

"The project imagines a post-viral townscape that questions ideas of community and the fragile state of our urban fabric. Set within a global pandemic, the rebirth of civilisation forces inhabitants to examine historic ways of building whilst developing technologies of energy production.

"The Survivor's Sanctuary proposes a future that challenges ideas of self-sufficiency, sustainable building, and the structural adaptability of reclaimed materials. A testbed for ideas, the success of the future lies in the hands of those who have survived."

Student: Dominic Stewart
Course: BA(Hons) Architecture
Tutor: Claire Hannibal

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The Recycled Fun Palace: Repurposing Philadelphia's Refinery Infrastructure through Community Institutes by Luke Singleton

"Citizen Agency studio projects were located in Philadelphia, USA, commencing with The Edmund N. Bacon Urban Design Awards Student Competition. The site is a 1,300-acre redundant refinery close to Philadelphia's centre. 13 students prepared one group entry titled 'Community Institutes'.

"Our design studio was awarded third prize. From each student's contribution to the competition, a community institute proposition was developed.

"The Recycled Fun Palace reuses a disused gasometer. The immense structure takes on a new role, acting as the framework for a Cedric Price-inspired superstructure. In response to the ever-increasing climate emergency, the new architecture has been constructed by reusing refinery infrastructure."

Student: Luke Singleton
Course: BA(Hons) Architecture
Tutor: Simon Warren

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The Seven Vails of The Lord by Cassie Norrish

"The Abstract Machines studio projects were based in York and explored the following propositional themes. Research into the cultural manifestations of political parties with students defining their position; exploration of the spatial systems through which party organisations could manifest themselves; and how an architectural language can represent the ideals and values of the defined organisation within a particular culture.

"Norrish's project called 'The Seven Vails of The Lord' examines institutional religion's subordination of women through hierarchy, ritual, and spatial exclusion.

"The project deconstructs the faith's given axioms through a series of narrative spatial sequences overlaid with subverted historical and contemporary church rituals."

Student: Cassie Norrish
Course: BA(Hons) Architecture
Tutor: Keith Andrews

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The Colony by Sam Pick

"This studio explored plans. It considered how they are created and what implications this method has on their realisation as spaces.

"Students developed unique approaches to plans as counter positions to rational 2D methods. Projects were set in Greenwich, with students given free control over briefs and programmes to explore their approaches.

"This project proposes that colonising another planet is the only response to the increasing danger of climate change. The 'colony' uses 3D-printing methods to explore spatial limitations and consider how the inhabitants might cope with being in control of their own environment.

"The spatial consequences of 3D printing are explored alongside a politically charged narrative over time, with the colony inhabitants coming together and pulling apart as they modify their surroundings."

Student: Sam Pick
Course: BA(Hons) Architecture
Tutor: Tom Vigar

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Breaking the Mould: Pottery Workshops for Autistic and Non-verbal Individuals by Hannah Elebert

"Through art-based studio practice and self-generated projects, our interior architecture and design graduating students create sustainable interior spaces, engaging with the adaptive reuse of buildings and structures in response to contemporary social, ethical and political issues.

"Elebert's project advocates for environmental inclusion through creating an interactive space designed to accommodate the needs of autistic and non-verbal individuals.

"Located in the Former Calcining Works, a Grade II Listed Building in Stoke-on-Trent, the project extends the legacy of the site including learning spaces and pottery workshops for the manipulation of clay.

"Focus is given to the detailing of transition spaces that address the specific accessibility needs of autistic and non-verbal children."

Student: Hannah Elebert
Course: BA(Hons) Interior Architecture and Design
Tutors: Maryam Osman and Amanda Wanner

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Leeds Innovation District by Magdalena Maciejewska

"This studio was designed to create opportunities for students to demonstrate creativity, personal focus and design competence through undertaking a comprehensive landscape architecture challenge in Leeds Innovation District.

"Together with Leeds universities and the teaching hospitals NHS Trust, the city have embarked on creating a focal point for innovation in the city.

"Alongside development opportunities, they are encouraging collaboration between universities, health professionals and civic leaders to enable business and job creation and growth.

"This project is a landscape proposition at the heart of the proposed district, including sculptures built with solar panels and corten steel that will power street lighting and water features."

Student: Magdalena Maciejewska
Course: BA(Hons) Landscape Architecture and Design
Tutors: Alia Fadel and Mohammad Taleghani

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Kirkstall Forge Sponge Park by Nisha Hawkridge

"The design of Kirkstall Forge Sponge Park on the River Aire in Leeds is driven by natural interventions. It creates a resilient landscape that responds to the impacts of flooding and climate change now and in the future.

"The park will support the river by protecting the surrounding settlements and filtering water runoff before it reaches the river; provide wildlife with biodiverse habitats along with clean river water which will promote aquatic life; and bring people together with both flooding and wildlife through natural strategies

"Kirkstall Forge Sponge Park will embrace flooding and proposes natural features that work with increased rainfall and not against it."

Student: Nisha Hawkridge
Course: Master of Landscape Architecture
Tutors: John Maccleary and Chris Royffe

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Skeletons, Skins and Parallaxes: Laboratories of Politics and Kinetic Inhabitation by Amy Ferguson

"The Cinematic Commons studio seeks to depart from the current challenging situation – isolation protocols, domestic implosion and disabled public realms – to probe alternative possibilities of spatial conditions to resist the control, disconnection and dissolution of urban public spaces.

"While the connection of homes and streets in terms of political demonstrations has in recent decade been altered due to the capabilities of instant and mobile documentation, this recent period of COVID-19 lockdown further magnified the desire towards the combination of remote and in-situ political movements – the era of 'armchair activism.'

"This project aims to recognise the potential of linking a locally immersive and adaptive environment of work and occupancy with globalised political campaigns on worldwide environmental and ecological issues.

"Thus, the project creates 'laboratories of politics' equipped with architecturally kinetic mechanisms of 'skeletons, skins and parallaxes', drawing inspiration from the adaptability of film and theatre production sets and multi-locational virtual reality relaying technologies for future inhabitants.

"The project probes a series of protest architecture for activists and a hub of 'politics-as-lived' for the like-minded to research, campaign and form communities of affinities.

"The adaptability of the architectural, kinetic mechanism activates the protest territories, occupying and transforming spaces within the street, on structures and within buildings.

"Many parts of the architectural, kinetic system can be re-distributed in the protest territory and also move to remote locations yet keeping a synchronic relation with the base labs. The parallax of space across time extends to a parallax of multiple situations and modes of activisms."

Student: Amy Ferguson
Course: Master in Architecture (MArch)
Tutor: Doreen Bernath

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A Post Pandemic Pocket Book to Re-connect a Faceless Society by Grace Butcher

"The ‘Post Pandemic Story Book’ takes the opportunity to reconnect society through participatory design. The project focuses on 'care' to explore modes of inhabitation for a multi-generational population, providing user-modified spatial layouts connected by generous garden spaces that allow for escape or chance meeting.

"The Liverpool North Docks site is restructured through a series of engineered timber frameworks which are then populated by a set of conditions and increasingly finer material systems that negotiate from the strategic to human scale. The architectural outcome is driven by user appropriation and demand for open-ended programmes of occupation, offering creative capabilities for an uncertain future."

Student: Grace Butcher
Course: Master in Architecture (MArch)
Tutor: Nick Tyson

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Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and Leeds Beckett University. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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Ruukki Construction calls for graduates and students to design fictional "snow museum"

Dezeen promotion: Finnish steel-based manufacturer Ruukki Construction has launched an architectural competition to design The Museum of Snow, a fictional museum in Finland.

Named The Unbelievable Challenge 2021, this third edition of the competition organised by Ruukki Construction calls for recently graduated architects to put their best ideas forward for the conceptual museum that would be located in Rovaniemi, the home of Santa Claus.

The winner will receive a six-month fully paid internship at Warsaw-based architectural practice WXCA.

The winner will receive an internship at Warsaw-based architectural practice WXCA

"This is a call for action to fight the extinction of snow," said Tiina Tukia, head of marketing and communications at Ruukki Construction.

"Me and our most beloved Finn and arctic inhabitant Santa Claus, are challenging young architects to design something that can't be forgotten – The Museum of Snow."

Ruukki Construction is looking for graduates to use "innovative and unconventional thinking" in their design of The Museum of Snow.

The proposals must use Ruukki Construction's steel-based products and provide fresh ways to use the material, including reusing and recycling it.

The competition's jury of the first Unbelievable Challenge

"The top-scoring idea presents a clever and avant-garde way of utilising Ruukki Construction's sustainable, environmentally friendly steel-based products," said Tukia.

The competition aims to support recently graduated architects and Ruukki Construction intends to introduce the winning architect to the industry to help launch their career.

The competition aims to launch graduate's careers

"The goal is to find new, fresh ideas for using steel-based products in sustainable construction," said Tukia. "The competition also aims to support young architects and introduce them to the industry."

To launch The Unbelievable Challenge 2021, Ruukki Construction has partnered with the City of Rovaniemi and the architecture firms WXCA in Poland and Snøhetta in Norway.

Winner of The Unbelievable Challenge 2017 Ben Feicht and Eli Synnevåg from Snøhetta

"Ruukki and its partners share a common concern for sustainable development and aim to manifest this in their products, actions and choices," said Tukia.

The competition's jury consists of Marta Sękulska-Wrońska from architectural company WXCA, architect Sipi Hintsanen as the representative of the city of Rovaniemi, architect Eli Synnevåg from Snøhetta, Janis Zaharans as the representative of Ruukki Construction and architect and winner of the 2014 competition Alexandru Oprita.

The competition is open to Schengen residents

The competition is open to the residents of all Schengen countries and will close on 3 November 2021.

The finalists will be announced on 25 November and the winner on 9 December.

To view more about the competition, visit its website.

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Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Ruukki Construction as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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Musa+ ceramic tile range by Fiandre Architectural Surfaces

Dezeen Showroom: Italian brand Fiandre Architectural Surfaces has released the versatile Musa+ collection of ceramic floor and wall tiles, which comes in an array of colours, formats and finishes.

The highly customisable Musa+ collection is characterised by a colour palette of understated neutral tones, which makes it highly adaptable to residential, industrial and retail environments.

The range is distinguished by its understated neutral palette, ranging from Midnight black to opalescent Pearl

The modular design of the tiles enables endless experimentation and arrangements. The tiles come in a variety of sizes and textures including slabs, strips, boards, hexagons, squares and diamonds.

The tiles are available in a choice of three finishes including a glossy finish, a semi-polished finish and a raised wood effect.

The collection is available in three finishes, including the Relief finish, which has a raised wood effect

The series comes in a palette of seven pared-back colours. The colours range from cooler tones such as Chalk white and Pearl grey to warmer hues such as Umber brown and Midnight black.

Other colours included in the range are a rustic Clay, a sandy-hued Dune colour and a graphite grey Shadow.

Product: Musa+
Brand: Fiandre Architectural Surfaces
Contact: msghedoni@granitifiandre.it

About Dezeen Showroom: Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.

Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.

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