The Lodge: a Universally Designed Cabin Using Autodesk Revit

Walk through the design process for a tiny cabin for the Make it Small Architecture Student Contest

you will need autodesk Revit, something to sketch with, and your imagination!

Before beginning to generate ideas, I considered the parameters for the project as defined in the prompt for the Make it Small Architecture Student Contest as well as my own personal goals for the project. The prompt seeks a tiny structure that does more with less, fosters sustainable building practices, and creates small spaces with oversized impacts. Additionally, I wanted to make sure to follow the 7 principles of universal design in my project, in order to allow it to be accessed and enjoyed by everyone. I created a word cloud of all of my constraints in order to better visualize and prioritize aspects of the goal. With the constraints and parameters set out, I decided to design an accessible cabin vacation spot. 

I conducted research on multiple aspects of the project before beginning to brainstorm. The main focuses of my research were sustainability & energy efficiency, tiny homes, and accessibility

In my research on sustainability & energy efficiency I learned about passive solar design, a concept that takes advantage of a building's orientation, location, and materials to minimize its energy use. The sun is lower in the sky in the winter and higher in the summer. South facing windows can be placed in such a way that they receive direct sunlight in the winter, warming and lighting the building, but block sunlight in the summer keeping the building cool. This was an aspect I wanted to include in my design, to improve its energy efficiency. I Also researched roof solar panel efficiency and effective tree planting strategies.

The International Residential Code defines a tiny house as having a floor area of 400 square feet or less, not including lofts. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines tiny homes as homes up to 500 square feet in size. Many tiny homes include lofts accessible only by ladder or narrow staircase, and often rely heavily on stacked storage to efficiently utilize their minimal footprint. In my research I came across multiple accessible tiny homes with 200-300 square foot footprints that contained either only a kitchenette and bathroom but no bedroom, or a bathroom and bedroom but no kitchenette. The smallest accessible tiny home I found in my research that had a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchenette had a 550 square foot floor area. Because of this, I decided to set my goal for the tiny cabin’s floor area at under 450 feet squared. I also hoped to include an office or laundry space.

To research universal design and accessible living spaces I read about the 7 principles of universal design. I also researched The Universal Design Living Laboratory, a universally designed accessible home in Columbus, Ohio. The home was designed by Rosemarie Rossetti after she was paralysed in an accident, and contains multitudes of amenities designed to be accessible to all. I also researched all of the ADA regulations. Some elements from my research I hoped to incorporate into my project were: No-step entry, One-story living, Wide doorways, Turning Space On floors,Good lighting, High Contrast design, Texture, Lever door handles and rocker light switches, Front load washers & dryers, Multi-height storage, Multi-height workspaces, Non-slip surfaces, Curbless Shower Entry, Grab bars, Varying Counter Heights, Raised toes depths on cabinets, and Induction Cooktops.

To generate ideas I looked at pictures of other tiny homes. I was inspired to design a design that incorporated elements of mid century modern and modern architecture. I created a collage of images for inspiration and materials that I added to throughout the design. One of my favorite aspects of midcentury design is the “Step Down” that is sometimes used to divide a living space from the rest of a home. I wanted to incorporate a ramp step down into the cabin in order to create a division of space. This ramp is a focal point of the design, and I planned the cabin around it. As I began sketching the cabin, I decided to call it The Lodge. The Lodge’s layout went through multiple iterations of sketches, and was later revised further in the floor planning phase. Window placement and design also played a key role in The Lodge’s layout, in order to take advantage of passive solar design. 

I used autodesk Revit to turn my floor plan sketches into a layout. I dimensioned the layout and added furniture in the general areas I had planned for it to go. The Lodge's initial layout had a kitchen entryway followed by the step down ramp leading to the living room and laundry area. The initial design had a fully enclosed bedroom. In the revisions leading up to the final design the cabin was made to be more studio style. The step down ramp acts as a partition between areas. In the design custom built-ins offer ample storage and a custom desk is built over the laundry area, utilizing the space for multiple purposes. All casework has raised toe depths for easy roll under access, the shower has roll in access, and there are varying heights of cabinets and tables throughout to allow easy access to children and people of varying abilities. The kitchen is fully accessible, and the entire Lodge is designed to ADA specifications. There are also oak veneer grab bars throughout the Lodge to offer mobility assistance. The square footage of the lodge, including the ramp, is only 428 square feet, and it utilizes space efficiently with a full kitchen, laundry area, living area, desk, and sleeping area.

After designing the general shape of the interior I designed the exterior of the building. The Lodge's exterior heavily features 2 types of stone, with dark oak accents, and is inspired by midcentury modern architecture. I used seamless stone textures from Coronado Stone in the design https://coronado.com/seamlessstonetextures/ . The windows are placed to optimize natural light and utilize passive solar design. I used generic models to add oak details to the building exterior. To create the roof I was inspired by old factory saw-tooth roofs which utilize a series of sloped "teeth" that allow natural light to penetrate deep into a building while minimizing direct sunlight exposure. I also wanted the roof to have space for solar panels that would have daily access to sunlight. For this reason the sawtooth and solar panels angled east to west. The roof is dark green in an homage to Lincoln log cabins, and because dark colored roofs attract more energy towards the solar panels placed on the roof.

The interior of the Lodge utilizes tile, oak, and terrazzo as its main materials. The terrazzo is a sustainable terrazzo made of wood fragments. The interior walls are painted in light and dark green colors. The use of wood and green as well as the ample natural light in the Lodge creates a seamless unity between the interior of the cabin and the nature outside of it. I used architextures.org to find all of the cool interior textures. All of the floor surfaces are wheelchair and walker friendly. I designed mid century-inspired art in canva and used decals to place them as art on the walls. I then framed these artworks in generic model frames.

I rendered the Lodge using Autodesk Cloud Rendering. After rendering I replaced the sky and added people, plants, and detailing in photoshop. I used the people and plants from the canva stock library and used the cutout filter in photoshop to add an artistic look to the figures.

The Lodge is designed to be a space anyone can enjoy. It utilizes unique storage and design features like a step down ramp, laundry desk, and varied height cabinets to be accessible to and enjoyable by anyone. It is designed using sustainable, energy efficient materials and is designed to seamlessly mesh with its environment. It is a tiny gettaway with a big impact that anyone could enjoy!