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Nature Within | Forest Around
Nature Within | Forest Around
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Nature Within | Forest Around
Winner of the Buildner Sustainability Award for Buildner’s Howard Waterfall Retreat Competition, “Nature Within” reimagines a family cottage as a place where preservation and nature driven design coexist. The original structure, filled with decades of memories, remains largely intact, allowing the house to sit lightly on the land while protecting embodied carbon and the surrounding forest ecosystem. A new extension grows from this foundation, shaping a retreat that embraces its landscape, honors its heritage, and looks toward a sustainable future.
The project expands the cottage through a carefully placed extension that opens the home toward the forest, creek, and waterfall. A central winter garden brings natural light, fresh air, and seasonal adaptability into the plan. Bedrooms become private forest facing suites with windowed bathrooms, while communal areas gather around moments of openness. Above, the roof of the extension becomes a generous terrace connecting dining, living, and outdoor spaces, with a glazed living room cantilevering over the waterfall. The result is a home organized around views, ventilation, flow, and a constant dialogue with nature.
By preserving the envelope of the original cottage and placing new living spaces in conversation with the landscape, the project creates a retreat that balances openness and refuge. Indoor and outdoor stairs connect the upper and lower levels, guiding residents toward terraces and framed views. Recycled wood from the cottage is brought back as cladding and finishes, strengthening continuity of memory and material. With passive systems at its core and environmentally conscious technologies throughout, the house becomes both an evolution of its history and a model for sustainable future living.
Project design: Mengyu Zhao, Yuchen Wang. Project visualization: Viktor Fomin.
The project expands the cottage through a carefully placed extension that opens the home toward the forest, creek, and waterfall. A central winter garden brings natural light, fresh air, and seasonal adaptability into the plan. Bedrooms become private forest facing suites with windowed bathrooms, while communal areas gather around moments of openness. Above, the roof of the extension becomes a generous terrace connecting dining, living, and outdoor spaces, with a glazed living room cantilevering over the waterfall. The result is a home organized around views, ventilation, flow, and a constant dialogue with nature.
By preserving the envelope of the original cottage and placing new living spaces in conversation with the landscape, the project creates a retreat that balances openness and refuge. Indoor and outdoor stairs connect the upper and lower levels, guiding residents toward terraces and framed views. Recycled wood from the cottage is brought back as cladding and finishes, strengthening continuity of memory and material. With passive systems at its core and environmentally conscious technologies throughout, the house becomes both an evolution of its history and a model for sustainable future living.
Project design: Mengyu Zhao, Yuchen Wang. Project visualization: Viktor Fomin.
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