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West Facade

At night, the quiet drama of the shed roof's angles glows against the darkened forest.

Cabins from around the world

In search of a Bay Area retreat, Jeff Waldman and Molly Fiffer purchased a piece of land on which to experiment and gain new skills, one task at a time.

The sloped metal roofs were designed to capture rain, which is used in the cabins.

The timber structures are made from durable Douglas Fir posts and beams.

Windows wrap around the sides of the cabins to maximize views.

"We made the space as flexible as possible to allow for numerous potential uses in all four seasons," says architect Tom Kundig. During the summer months, the property is especially lively as the residents take advantage of their waterfront location.

Above the grass shingled roof, the protruding glass enclosure is an alluring portal to the dwelling beneath. Surrounding the glass lookout, 50 unique species of wild plants blanket the surface.

"We were interested in this idea of treading lightly on the site. Using a green roof is a logical extension of that. When you introduce a building that supplants a little piece of the forest floor, it's nice to replicate that on the roof as a return gesture to continue to create habitat for birds, animals, and plants, and to help manage the flow of storm water," explains McFarlane.

A covered boardwalk connects the mudroom and guest bedroom structure (left) to the gathering pavilion with the living room, kitchen, and dining area (right). The boardwalk in the foreground leads to the primary bedroom cabin.

Floor-to-ceiling glazing and a linear skylight help welcome the landscape within the cabin’s small footprint.

The post-and-beam construction has a dramatic carport entrance which showcases the home's clean, midcentury lines.

At their A. Quincy Jones house in Los Angeles, architects Cory Buckner and Nick Roberts used permeable pavers to help the soil retain moisture.

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