The Yakisugi Cabin explores architecture shaped by what is already available — where material constraint becomes a generative design tool rather than a limitation. Conceived as a compact, relocatable dwelling, the project brings together reclaimed materials, traditional craft and contemporary high-performance construction to test how lightly a building can occupy both its site and its wider material landscape.
Rather than designing first and specifying materials later, the architecture developed around materials already carrying a history. A collection of salvaged timber windows and doors established the proportions and openings of the building, while untreated macrocarpa cypress grown on the architect’s family farm in Southland — trees she climbed as a child — was milled to form the cladding, interior linings, cabinetry and light fittings. The exterior was hand-charred using the traditional Japanese Yakisugi technique, enhancing its durability while embedding a narrative of memory and place.
This acceptance of natural materials extends to their imperfections. Damaged and reclaimed timber was repaired using Kintsugi-inspired techniques rather than concealed or discarded, allowing repair, weathering and previous use to become part of the architecture. Ishibatate-inspired junctions were similarly explored in supporting structures, separating untreated timber from the ground while minimising disturbance and celebrating the way materials meet.
Within the compact footprint, integrated joinery allows spaces to perform multiple functions. A kinetic wardrobe rolls open to reveal a full walk-in robe while concealing a Murphy bed, allowing the main space to transition between living and sleeping without requiring additional rooms.
The cabin is constructed from modular StrawSIPs, combining structure, insulation and carbon sequestration within an untreated-timber system. A highly insulated and airtight envelope, coupled with passive solar gain and balanced mechanical heat-recovery ventilation, maintains a stable internal environment without a dedicated space-heating system — even through Wānaka’s alpine winters and sub-zero temperatures. Clay plaster contributes airtightness, thermal mass and humidity regulation, while seamless tadelakt lime plaster forms the bathroom enclosure. Reclaimed oak flooring, travertine offcuts and repaired corrugated roofing salvaged from an old sheep shed continue the project’s language of reuse.
Designed for a leased suburban site, the cabin is elevated on piles and dimensioned to allow future relocation. Its relationship with the land is intended to be regenerative rather than simply low-impact. Greywater irrigates wildflowers, fruit trees and vegetable gardens; rainwater is returned directly to the ground through soak pits formed from local Clutha river stones; and straw and timber construction offcuts become mulch, rebuilding soil and supporting biodiversity. Other timber offcuts fuel the outdoor bath.
The ambition is that, when the cabin eventually leaves, the land it occupied will be healthier and more productive than before it arrived. The resulting architecture embraces constraint, repair and imperfection — demonstrating how a building can take responsibility not only for the resources it consumes, but for the place it temporarily inhabits.
