Delta Shelter in Washington, by Olson Kundig

Article source: Olson Kundig

Delta Shelter – a 1,000 square-foot cabin – is essentially a steel-clad box on stilts that can be completely shuttered when the owner is away. The 200 square-foot footprint of the house rises above a 40-acre, 100-year flood plain adjacent to the Methow River. The verticality, coloring and raw nature of the materials used for construction directly respond to the wildness of the setting. The owner sought a compact, easy to maintain, virtually indestructible building to house himself and his friends for fun and adventure in the mountains. With an exterior of steel, the house is virtually indestructible.

Image Courtesy © Olson Kundig

• Architects: Olson Kundig
• Project: Delta Shelter
• Location: Washington, United States

Image Courtesy © Olson Kundig

The cabin is composed of three levels: the lowest level is half carport, half utility/storage room; the middle level consists of the entry, two small bedrooms and bathrooms; the top level is one large space which includes living, dining and cooking areas. Cantilevered steel decks extend from the top and middle levels and provide space for outdoor sleeping and entertaining.

Image Courtesy © Olson Kundig

Image Courtesy © Olson Kundig

Inspired by the pivoting window mechanism at the Chicken Point Cabin, Kundig explored several options to open up the house, including shutters that swing open horizontally like large doors or vertically like propellers. In the end the most cost-effective solution was a set of four sliding double-height steel shutters that simultaneously open and close through hand-cranked mechanical means on the four sides of the house.

Image Courtesy © Olson Kundig

Image Courtesy © Olson Kundig

Aside from building as small a structure as possible and limiting the impact on the landscape, Delta Shelter’s most unique sustainable strategy was to be able to open the structure to the environment and to use human power as the means to do it. All four shutters, which measure 10’ x 18’, can be opened and closed simultaneously by using a hand wheel that moves the shutters over the glazed portions of each façade. The shutters are operated by a series of mechanical devices including a hand wheel, drive shafts, u-joints, spur gears and cables. All windows are operable. No air conditioning is included in the project.

Image Courtesy © Olson Kundig

Image Courtesy © Olson Kundig

Image Courtesy © Olson Kundig

Image Courtesy © Olson Kundig

Image Courtesy © Olson Kundig

Tags: USA, Washington

Categories: Cabin, House, Residential, Shelter, Shelter Home

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