Linear Cabin

Text by Clay Risen

Call to mind a picture of the typical woodland cottage, and it’s unlikely you’d imagine Johnsen Schmaling Architects’ project in the northern Wisconsin woods: the 900-square-foot Linear Cabin, which won a 2016 AIA Small Projects Award, is a sparse yet striking arrangement of three rectilinear boxes separated by two voids and organized under a continuous, flat roof.

Starting with the utilitarian purpose of rural cabins―a step up from a tent, a place for sleeping and eating between hikes and fishing trips―the Milwaukee-based firm focused on a three-part program, with little room for amenities. The firm consciously avoided the sort of rural-modern affectations that define many of its neighbors. “We didn’t want it to be a formulaic, slap-some-wood-slats-on-it sort of project,” says principal Brian Johnsen, AIA, who co-founded the firm with Sebastian Schmaling, AIA. “We wanted to make something simple and efficient.”

The first volume provides storage for canoes, fishing gear, and other outdoor equipment; the second contains a kitchen, bathroom, laundry, and boiler; and the third has two bunk rooms for sleeping. The project is wrapped in regionally sourced black pine cladding outside and varnished cedar and knotty pine inside, creating a severe exterior and rustic, inviting interior. The floor is polished concrete throughout.

The spaces between the three identically sized volumes play multifunctional roles: one a carport, entryway, and covered terrace; the other a living area called the hearth room. Floor-to-ceiling, lift-slide glass doors expose the hearth room to the elements during warmer months, while a wood-burning stove helps offset harsh winter temperatures. This indoor–outdoor space accommodates most of the socializing and entertaining, and provides compelling views toward nearby Alma Lake on one side and down the gravel road that connects the house to the outside world on the other. “By pulling the volumes apart, we’ve provided voids that create a connection to the landscape,” says Johnsen, whose firm, founded in 2003, has developed a reputation for small, high-design residential projects marked by an attention to detail and carefully selected materials.

The building fits surprisingly well in its wooded context, a tribute to its understated character and sympathetic material palette. “There’s a battle we have on every project,” Johnsen says. “We see this beautiful lot, and we’re asked to place something foreign on it. We’re always torn, but it’s our job.” The result is a paradox, a strong statement that slips easily into natural surroundings. “It reminds me of stacks of firewood that people leave in the woods to dry,” Johnsen says. “It feels like you’re almost camping.”

Project Credits
Project: Linear Cabin, St. Germain, Wis.
Client: Matt and Julie Sager
Architect/Interior Designer: Johnsen Schmaling Architects, Milwaukee . Brian Johnsen, AIA, Sebastian Schmaling, AIA (principals-in-charge); Matt Wendorf (project manager)
Structural Engineer: Core 4 Engineering
General Contractor: J&J Lee Construction
Size: 900 square feet
Cost: Withheld