Exciting news to share: Matt and the guy he works with (Carter Woollen) have submitted a project for the AIA Honor Awards in the Unbuilt category. This is a project I have gotten the chance to do a little bit of work on, some in the conceptual phase side-by-side with Matt and more in the presentation phase of this Award Submittal (all the graphics are by me). It has been really fun to be (even a little bit) a part of this and even more so, I am really excited and proud of Matt (even if they don’t win). I wrote a few weeks ago about doing some ‘real’ work, work that actually utilizes my $100K professional degree, so you can go see that in the whole presentation pdf at the AIA Honor Award website under ‘unbuilt’. There are a lot of good submissions (the pipe one is quite interesting). Ours is the Cusabo Island Cabin.

[image property of Woollen Studio and g.design]

A little about the project: It will be an Island cabin located in South Carolina. The building creates it’s own electricity, collects it’s own water, recycles waste and is designed to lightly impact the surrounding marshland environment. There entire structure will be pre-fabricated, barged to the island and assembled at the site in a matter of weeks. Additionally, it is designed to integrate within the climate, opening and closing with switch-rich components to both utilize and fend off heat, cold, wind, sun, rain (and even hurricanes). It is a simply conceived structure, pared down to essentials, yet strikingly modern and utilitarian in formal concept, with the structural and assembled components informing the overall look of the building’s beauty. Construction will likely begin in the spring (after hurricane season) and hopefully we will have the chance to travel back and see the fruits of many hours, weeks and months of labor.

We may even shell out $50, find a babysitter, and dress in black to go to the awards ceremony on Nov. 3rd.