Base Cabin x Studio Edwards

The brief to Studio Edwards was succinct in its ambitions, specifying a considered, functional and flexible space that provides a fresh design approach to a tiny cabin; a lofty request that translates into Base Cabin being used primarily focused as mobile weekender or as a garden studio, rural escape or even permanent home 1st home buyers or downsizers. Base Cabin has been established as we see a real gap and demand in the built form market for well designed and considered tiny homes / cabins. Our ethos is to work with the most innovative architects to deliver exceptional spaces.

The final design involved a subtle sleight of hand inspired by the classic A-frame cabin. The A-frame is structurally efficient and uses less material that conventional portal frame, an especially important consideration for weight and drag resistance during transportation. Base Cabin transcends its specs as Edwards wraps the cabin’s lightweight 2.5mx6m steel frame in black rubber and lines its 15sqm interior with marine plywood. Into this snug cocoon, is squeezed in, tardis-like, a bathroom with shower and toilet, a double bed below the A-frame. A kitchenette to the rear, behind the central bathroom, is framed by a window seat.

The design aims to improve the wellbeing of its occupants by providing an exceptional space that transport you away from everyday rigours of life. Being a small transportable cabin, at an achievable price point, it also offers a potential solution ongoing housing affordability issues society faces. Commercially we see a real gap in the market for architectural tiny-homes, with the majority of existing tiny-homes styled upon a tired/repetitive designs which offers little to architectural discussion/progression. The design drawings upon passivhaus principals, with no mechanical heating/cooling required for the space. Materials have also been chosen for the ability to be recycled.

The design has been developed with a single material skin of matt-black rubber which creates a seamless connection to the world around it. The clean architectural lines, such as clear shapes and angles, mean that the cabin presents as a strong, yet refined space in its environment. Living spaces are typically conceived around a series of moments, or the way people live throughout the course of a day. There are many such moments within this cabin. The day starts and ends in the cocoon like bedroom with the timber walls bringing warmth to the space, while the dominant A-frame window offers an expansive view to the outside world. The bathroom space whilst efficient in size, still feels spacious and luxurious given its open ceiling design and skylight letting natural light stream in. A kitchenette with materials of brass sheeting and black-timber different it from the living space. An oversized bench seat transitions to a day bed, allowing for flexibility to define the area for dining or living. The unexpected height of all living areas elevates the feeling of space over and above the cabins 15sqms. Floor to ceiling heights of 3.3meters create a real sense of freedom within the cabin.