Ironranger

Project Type: New Construction

Perched on the shore of the clearest rocky waters of the Iron Range sits a new cabin as refreshing as the northern Minnesota woods. This family getaway was imagined as a retreat of modern, compact proportions, situated to celebrate the surrounding landscape. Ease of maintenance and elevating the experience of the natural surroundings were of utmost importance in the plan for the home. Careful site placement of the house, separate sauna, and future shed help enhance the landscape and bind the structures in a connected composition without sacrificing privacy and incorporating aging-in-place and universal design elements.

The rooted floorplan, a rigorous T-shape, is reminiscent of the Easy Pose in yoga, a pose boasting benefits of awareness, relaxation, and stress relief. The unassuming entry welcomes guests to a sturdy shelter entry, the bottom of the pose. It is windowless, with the exception of the entry door, and clad in wood to blend in and deter attention. A blank slate as you enter allows your brain to declutter as you are welcomed inside the foyer.

Cloaked in the quite shadow of the foyer, your eyes are drawn through a hallway aperture of constricted height to a far off yet detailed image of the lake at the end of the gathering space. The daylight through this aperture pulls you toward the gathering space. The porch ceiling is tall and stretching toward the lake, welcoming the water in. The sauna house borders the edge of the property, intentionally aligned with the geometries and shape of the main house, and on the edge of the lake, inviting visitors throughout the year to its warmth.

Materials draw inspiration from the natural resources that surround the property, using a combination of thermally modified wood, steel, and concrete to mimic the context of the area. The vertical steel siding is a varied width pattern like the surrounding trees. It adorns the exterior as a low-maintenance material along with the thermally-modified wood siding, to camouflage the impact of the building.

Sustainable Design Highlights

The design utilizes sustainable products such as Arborwood, Richlite, durable metal siding, and natural soapstone countertops. It also uses the concrete slab as finished floor instead of adding material on top as another layer of material.

Framework for Design Excellence: Design for Well Being

This is a retreat designed to encourage the brain and body to rest through simple plan layout allowing ease of movement and enjoyment of the quiet natural surroundings. The views are captured within the structure though careful layout of windows and massing forms that simplify the vistas and ultimately enhance the views. Built-ins are designed for the bedrooms also to reduce visual clutter and make the most of small spaces for ease of movement. Circulation paths are ample, even, and barrierless due to slab-on-grade construction, encouraging accessibility to all spaces for any mobility level.

Outside, there are two exterior spaces elevated above the land, one for gatherings and one for solo contemplation. The family can sit under shelter to enjoy all seasons at the waterside, soaking in the sounds, smells, and views of nature. The sauna structure provides the primitive cleansing ritual of mind and body, plus another solo deck even closer to the peace of the water.

What is the AIA Framework for Design Excellence? Learn more »