No Metal or Glue Here: This Cabin in Bavaria Came Together With Interlocking Wood Pieces

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Project Details:

Location: Augsburg, Germany

Architect: Lux Architect / @lux.manfred

Footprint: 860 square feet

Builder: Huber Müller Carpenter

Structural and Civil Engineer: Prof. Alexander Furche

Interior Design: Lux Architect

Photographer: Connolly Weber / @connolly_weber

From the Architect: "The design of this cabin is based on a grid with approximately 80-centimeters of spacing. Adaptable in length and height, this design is applicable to different variations—as with a two-story building in a family’s quaint orchard near Augsburg. The digitally manufactured wooden structure uses connections that don’t require glue or metal, and is completely dismountable.

"The building's distinctive shape emerged not only from the desire for a minimal footprint but also from constructive considerations. The seven-degree angle of the outward-tilted supports results in a wide overhang of the eaves, providing necessary shading for the large windows on the ground floor in summer and ensuring heat protection indoors. Additionally, the base of the wooden structure is protected from splashing water by the wide overhanging eaves.

"All wooden elements are made of untreated ash, and the exterior walls and room delimitations also serve as furniture. Throughout the building, the load-bearing structure is visible in the walls and ceilings.

"While the exterior showcases weather-resistant hand-split larch wood shingles, the untreated ash, with its silk-matte surfaces, primarily shapes the interior—from the exposed structure to the doors, windows, floors, staircases, and furnishings.

"While it may seem unusual to construct a building completely from ash wood, this decision was made based on the client’s wish: No extra trees should be felled for the house. It was built using ash that had to be cut down in the nearby Siebentisch Forest for traffic safety reasons, a fortunate coincidence."