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Architecture

Off-grid flatpack cabins would assemble like Ikea furniture

By Adam Williams
November 25, 2016
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The first cabin is due to be constructed sometime next year
Backcountry Hut Company
The cabins will come in several sizes, starting from a small hut all the way up to a large model able to sleep up to 24 people
Backcountry Hut Company
The cabins will be clad in a metal shell
Backcountry Hut Company
Rather than requiring a team of professionals, the Backcountry Hut Company says that a group of handy types could build the huts themselves
Backcountry Hut Company
Inside, the cabins will include a lounge, kitchen, dining area, bathroom and bedroom
Backcountry Hut Company
The huts will be delivered in flatpack form by truck, off-road vehicle, or helicopter
Backcountry Hut Company
The first cabin is due to be constructed sometime next year
Backcountry Hut Company
The cabins will be modular and able to be extended in size
Backcountry Hut Company
The Backcountry Hut Company says that its cabins could operate off-the-grid with a roof-based solar array and composting toilet, etc
Backcountry Hut Company
The cabins will be clad in a metal shell
Backcountry Hut Company
Rather than built by a team of professionals, the Backcountry Hut Company says that a group of handy types could get together and build it themselves
Backcountry Hut Company
Piling holes would be hand-dug and concrete poured into tubes to form the piles for the foundation
Backcountry Hut Company
The smallest cabin will measure just 191 sq ft (17 sq m) and sleep up to four people, while the largest, some 937 sq ft (87 sq m) would sleep up to 24 people
Backcountry Hut Company
View gallery - 12 images

Vancouver's Leckie Studio Architecture + Design recently launched the Backcountry Hut Company, to offer modular cabins that come flat-packed and are put together like a piece of furniture from Ikea. Still in the design stage, the cabins will be able to run on or off-the-grid with solar power, and will come in multiple configurations.

The cabins will come clad in a metal shell and be offered in several sizes. The smallest will measure just 191 sq ft (17 sq m) and sleep up to four people. The largest will come in at a palatial 937 sq ft (87 sq m) and sleep up to 24 people.

Inside, the cabins will include a lounge, kitchen, dining area, bathroom, and one or more bedrooms, spread over two floors. They will also be offered in two main configurations: Backcountry, which will allow full off-grid use in rural areas, and Frontcountry, which will be erected in semi-rural or built-up areas and serve as full-time homes.

The firm envisions the Backcountry models as being relatively utilitarian and outfitted with bunk beds, while the Frontcountry models would be a little more plush, reflecting their use as full-time homes.

Inside, the cabins will include a lounge, kitchen, dining area, bathroom and bedroom
Backcountry Hut Company

The Backcountry Hut Company says that assembling one of its cabins would be similar to putting together a piece of Ikea furniture (except without confusing instructions and that one crucial missing part, we assume).

The firm also says that rather than requiring a team of professional builders, a group of handy types could get together and build the cabin themselves, likening the process to an old-fashioned barn-raising gathering.

Off-grid tech slated for the cabins include a roof-based solar array and composting toilet. Delivery to the site can be handled by truck, an off-road vehicle, or a helicopter, depending on the terrain.

We've no word yet on price. In addition, finer details on the materials, thermal performance and the like will be available in the coming weeks. The first cabin is due to be constructed sometime next year.

Source: Backcountry Hut Company

View gallery - 12 images

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ArchitectureHouseHomeCabinsOff-gridTiny Footprint
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Adam Williams
Adam scours the globe from his home in Spain in order to bring the best of innovative architecture and sustainable design to the pages of New Atlas. Most of his spare time is spent dabbling in music, tinkering with old Macintosh computers and trying to keep his even older VW bus on the road.
7 comments
Tom Lee Mullins
I think that is a cool and green idea.
ItsAScam
where are the solar arrays? Or would they take up the whole roof?
oldguy
Yes, the roof would shed off snow quite efficiently. I like this design very much. Bit worried about shedding water though. Maybe a continuation of the roof line of about two feet out would shoot some of the heavier rain away from the house. With the addition of a french drain, this would help to slow the water damage to the foundation and minimize pooling that could turn the surrounding area into a mudfarm during wet weather.
Brian M
'that come flat-packed and are put together like a piece of furniture from Ikea'
i.e. No one can work out how to put it together, and falls apart 10 minutes later!
wle
pretty sure this has been done over and over...
the unannounced price will determine success..
wle
ljaques
Hideous, both internally and externally. I've seen and liked -other- saltbox style sheds and homes. The timberframe style and SIP exterior are its only saving graces. If it's a back-country cabin, who cares about footprint? Composting toilet, plumbing, and solar are all optional? I'll bet the price is over $200k, too. You handy types had better take a crane with you to put that tinker toy together, too, as SIPs are heavy and awkward for simple human power.
Island Architect
While I find vertical slit windows without a specific reason on the despicable side. These are the finest designs for inexpensive huts and make the frick and frack designs rightfully reside at the bottom of the heap.
Bill
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