Photographs by Peter Bastianeli-Kerze.
Loon’s Nest
Island Lake, Emily, Minnesota
The owners of a 1920’s cabin in Northern Minnesota requested a lakeside screen shelter to provide protection from sun, passing rain-showers, and bugs.
Straddling an edge between forest and clearing, the shelter visually connects to the intimate pine tree setting of the cabins above and the shoreline below. The relationship is enhanced by a shed roof which tilts to match the slope of the hillside– lifting up to afford views into the forest behind–and tilting down to focus attention on the lake and a small island where loons nest each summer.
The structure’s light framing and low concrete wall compliment the delicate and ethereal qualities of the adjacent forest; allowing occupants to feel protected from the elements, as well as integrated with the environment.
Designed by David O’Brien Wagner.
Awards
- National AIA Small Projects Award, 2007
- AIA/Mpls.St.Paul Magazine RAVE Award, 2007
- AIA Minnesota Honor Award, 2006
Publications
- Architecture Minnesota, May/June 2007
- Mpls/St. Paul Magazine August 2007
- Star Tribune December 2006