Daria Sheina Studio designs off-grid British Columbia cabin
Daria Sheina Studio has designed The Nest, an off-grid cabin with cedar-wrapped rotated volumes that allow panoramic views of the Howe Sound off the coast of British Columbia.
The 1,063-square-foot (99-square-metre) house sits on the highest point of a 10-acre site on Keats Island, a remote getaway with only 50 full-time residents near Vancouver.
Daria Sheina Studio, a design practice based in Vancouver, designed the house to be an eco-friendly, self-sufficient, low-impact home and a model of how thoughtful design can forge profound connections between people and place.
"From the outset, the site context played a central role in shaping the design," Sheina told Dezeen. "Perched atop the island's highest elevation, with panoramic views of Howe Sound, the location offered a rare kind of luxury – the sensation of having the entire island to yourself."
The angular building peeks out from the rugged terrain with moss-covered bedrock and a dense evergreen canopy.
Sheina immediately resonated with the clients' proposed name because "it captured the essential qualities we were already exploring: shelter, intimacy and a sense of belonging."
"We began to interpret the nest not only as a symbol, but as a spatial idea – shaped by circular movement and a deep connection to place," she said.
"The result is a sculptural interplay of two rotated volumes, forming a compact yet playful and inspiring three-level living experience."
Constructed out of mass timber, the ground level, which contains the communal kitchen, dining and living room, is a rectangular box, while the third-floor bedroom is rotated 90 degrees horizontally and 45 degrees vertically – as if tipped on its corner – and sits under the pitched roof.
The resulting second level is a small lounge with outward-sloping walls and a view of the public areas below.
"Compact in footprint yet expansive in spatial perception, The Nest maximises its small building area while maintaining a light touch on the land," the studio said.
The merged forms are clad in western red cedar to age and blend into the surrounding forest, while the minimalist interiors combine exposed wood with green marmoleum flooring.
Lift-and-slide doors open the ground floor to the outdoors, while bands of windows on either side of the slanted roof provide views of the Keats Island landscape.
"The client's selection of distinctive homeware adds a playful, joyful touch, balancing the pronounced architectural forms with unique character," the studio said.
The cabin operates entirely on solar power using a roof-mounted array and includes an incinerating toilet and rainwater filtration system.
Daria Sheina Studio collaborated with BC Passive House to prefabricate the mass timber components, which were airlifted by helicopter to the inaccessible site.
"The process was an intricate puzzle of design, engineering, and logistics, but the result is a home that feels both intentional and effortless," Sheina said.
"It's a design I'm incredibly proud of, made possible through a close collaboration with the client."
Other off-grid cabins were recently completed in Helsinki, Finland, by Littow Architectes, in Victoria, Australia, by Gardiner Architects and in Romania's Carpathian Mountains by Marc Thorpe.
The photography is by Andrew Latreille.
Project credits:
Design: Daria Sheina Studio
Structural: Equilibrium Consulting
Prefabrication: BC Passive House
Contractor: Lincoln Construction
Energy advisor: Shape Energy
Windows and doors: Innotech Windows + Doors
Siding: Westcoast Wood Distribution
CLT supplier: Mercer
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