Cascading Timber: 8 Beautiful Structures Clad in Cedar Shingles

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Cedar is one of the most popular materials for shingles, and it has been for centuries. Cedar has a lot of advantages over other woods — it’s durable and has a natural resistance to decay and insect damage — and it naturally comes in a variety of hues, from salmon pink to a rich reddish brown. Common across New England, Scandinavia and Canada, the wood is a great local and sustainable cladding material. If you are looking for some design inspiration or you are curious about what cedar shingles can do, take a look at this collection. You will find staggered volumes, gabled roofs, cascading forms and anything else you might hope to see wrapped up in cedar’s warmth.

Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge by Nicholas Plewman Architects and Michaelis Boyd, Okavango Delta, Botswana

Located in the Okavango Delta, the design for this lodge was inspired by the many creatures that have inhabited or found shelter in the surrounding area. The structure draws its form from the armadillo and its elusive shape and ability to curl up into its own protective skin. Not only is Sandibe built almost entirely of wood, but it is also wholly composed of biodegradable materials. Laminated pine beams provide the curvilinear shape while Canadian cedar shingles coated in a waterproof acrylic membrane form the building’s textured exterior.

Cottage in the Woods by 3six0 Architecture, Foster, R.I., United States

Wood Shingles by Liberty Cedar

Located on a site with dense woods and scattered rock, 3six0 Architecture built a cottage that would serve as an artist’s retreat where she could live and garden. The cottage is entirely clad in untreated Alaskan yellow cedar — a durable wood that will weather to a soft silver-gray. Chosen to complement the exterior cladding, the design also employs aluminum finishes and a warm Douglas fir interior.

House with a View by doom, Mogilany, Poland

House with a View is located on a southern sloping plot near Krakow, with extensive views of the nearby mountain ranges. With an articulated triangle attic, the architects sought to reinterpret the “Zakopianski Styl,” a traditional architectural style assigned to the Polish mountains. The home is clad in Canadian cedar shingles and boards, which will age naturally, transition with each season and continually alter the building’s visual reception.

Block of Wood by bergmeisterwolf architekten, Lajen, Italy

Block of Wood was designed to harness and celebrate craft industry and natural wood, two elements central to the surrounding region. This living façade grew out of curiosity surrounding the treatment of wood and the emergence of cuts, folds and dents. Dominated by triangles, the façade consists of a self-supporting folding system that is completely clothed in shingles. Their irregular aging and untreated surfaces will help achieve bergmeisterwold architekten’s goal of creating a building that resembles an unfinished sculpture.

VAUX, EXTENSION OF A LIVING SPACE by WAW Architectes, Souvigné, France

For this project, WAW Architects created a double-height extension that dramatically enlarged and invigorated the existing volume. After consultation with local craftsmen, the architects chose to build a modest wood frame with small shingles, which will turn naturally gray over time. The intervention was intentionally thought out to respect and mesh into the surrounding forest landscape.

House on Punkinville Road by bruce norelius studio, Sullivan, Maine, United States

House on Punkinville Road is a small volume that avoids disturbing the natural vegetation. Two rectangular structures are stacked perpendicularly to facilitate free, fluid outdoor space. According to the architects, the clients were remarkably untempted by expensive finishes, products and fixtures and were instead rigorously occupied with ensuring simple spaces that would facilitate strong relationships to the sun and the surrounding landscape. Humbly clad in white-cedar shingles, the design celebrates one of New England’s most traditional building materials.

Dragspelhuset by 24H-architecture, Årjäng, Sweden

Dragspelhuset is an extension to an original cabin that dates back to the late 1800s. Located on the shore of a nature reserve in Sweden where building regulations are strict, 24H created a structure that would evolve and adjust depending on weather conditions, season and number of occupants. During the summer, the building unfolds like a butterfly while in the winter, it acts as a cocoon and shelter against the cold. The architects chose Canadian red cedar for the lizard-like skin; as it turns gray with age, the façade will naturally camouflage into the surrounding rocks and forest.

CONCRETE AND CEDAR LATH VILLA by Barycz & Saramowicz Design Office, Krakow, Poland

Concrete and Cedar Lath Villa is composed of two interpenetrating blocks: An archetypal gable-roofed house and a modernistic flat annex. Through forging a dialogue between two materials — concrete and lath — the architects hoped to create a façade with strong emotional impact and deep expressiveness. Using Canadian cedar, the warm dark shingles contrast with the cool luminescent concrete and over time, the wooden covering will acquire a stunning gray patina, harmonizing with the concrete palette.

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