#Natural Materials

Designed by Alki Architecture + Design Studio, the Yakisugi Cabin in Wānaka, New Zealand, reverses the conventional process of designing first and specifying materials later. Its architecture developed around materials already available, including salvaged timber windows and doors that determined the proportions and placement of openings. Macrocarpa cypress grown on the architect’s family farm in Southland, in the south of New Zealand’s South Island, was milled for cladding, interior linings, cabinetry, and light fittings. Externally, the timber was hand-charred using the traditional Japanese yakisugi technique to improve its durability. Biddi Rowley Reuse is treated as an architectural language rather than concealed. Dama... More