Destinations

"Pulling the buildings apart allows what is not a big house to feel really big," says architect Jonathan Feldman of the sustainable retirement home he built for a couple in California. "Because of the ways it opens up, it feels much more expansive than it really is."

Designed by HGA Architects and Engineers—a firm with offices in eight cities across the country, including Minneapolis—these prefab cabins were designed off-site before being transported to the park and set atop a series of concrete piers.

Formerly an annex that was part of an existing heritage thatch cottage, The Hide was fully revamped with concrete and silver-wood shingles, a series of small, square-like, peephole windows and two large and angled overhanging windows to create a stunning modern retreat.

Faced with an outdated hotel built in 1979, Mahmoud was tasked with keeping the original structure intact, while bringing it back to life with design elements that would connect the traditional local vernacular with a refreshing modern sense.