This Faceted Cabin Was Designed as a Response to Fire and Landscape

by Erin Miller on February 7, 2026
This cabin mimics the surrounding rocks while its charred timber exterior highlights fire management in the mountains.
Photography by Adria Goula

Forestone Cabin is a small wooden dwelling built by the 2025 cohort of IAAC’s Master in Ecological Architecture and Advanced Construction. Located in the Pyrenees at MónNatura Sort, it provides temporary accommodation for two people with a sleeping area, workspace, and bathroom. The cabin demonstrates how compact architecture can inhabit sensitive forest landscapes without disturbing ecosystems, using local timber and low-impact construction.

This cabin mimics the surrounding rocks while its charred timber exterior highlights fire management in the mountains.
Photography by Adria Goula

Inspired by Stone, Crafted From Wood

The cabin’s form mimics the rocky terrain around it. Inclined walls and a sloping roof respond to sun exposure, airflow, and spatial needs, while carefully placed openings frame mountain views. Wooden shutters block light completely at night, protecting the site’s night sky. The exterior is clad in pine boards charred using the Japanese Yakisugi technique, increasing durability and symbolically connecting to fire management.

This cabin mimics the surrounding rocks while its charred timber exterior highlights fire management in the mountains.
Photography by Adria Goula
This cabin mimics the surrounding rocks while its charred timber exterior highlights fire management in the mountains.
Photography by Adria Goula

A Prototype for Regenerative Forestry

Forestone was designed to be replicable. Modular CLT elements and dry-assembly methods allow the cabin to be adapted, moved, or dismantled with minimal environmental impact. It demonstrates how architecture, education, and local resources can merge to create a sustainable model for forest living.

This cabin mimics the surrounding rocks while its charred timber exterior highlights fire management in the mountains.
Photography by Adria Goula
This cabin mimics the surrounding rocks while its charred timber exterior highlights fire management in the mountains.
Photography by Adria Goula
This cabin mimics the surrounding rocks while its charred timber exterior highlights fire management in the mountains.
Photography by Adria Goula

Interiors Built by Hand

Inside, custom cross-laminated timber furniture, a carved stone washbasin, and wool textiles create a fully integrated wooden space. Students collaborated with local farmers to process sheep’s wool into blankets, rugs, and pillowcases. Every piece highlights local craftsmanship and reinforces the cabin’s connection to its surroundings.

Inside a small cabin, custom timber furniture, a carved stone basin, and wool textiles connect local craftsmanship with design.
Photography by Adria Goula
Inside a small cabin, custom timber furniture, a carved stone basin, and wool textiles connect local craftsmanship with design.
Photography by Adria Goula
Inside a small cabin, custom timber furniture, a carved stone basin, and wool textiles connect local craftsmanship with design.
Photography by Adria Goula
Inside a small cabin, custom timber furniture, a carved stone basin, and wool textiles connect local craftsmanship with design.
Photography by Adria Goula
Inside a small cabin, custom timber furniture, a carved stone basin, and wool textiles connect local craftsmanship with design.
Photography by Adria Goula
Inside a small cabin, custom timber furniture, a carved stone basin, and wool textiles connect local craftsmanship with design.
Photography by Adria Goula

Crafting Architecture With Place in Mind

The cabin merges ecological responsibility with practical design. By combining regional timber, hands-on fabrication, and knowledge transfer, Forestone presents a new approach to small-scale architecture in fire-prone landscapes, balancing human use with environmental stewardship.

MAKING OF - Inside a small cabin, custom timber furniture, a carved stone basin, and wool textiles connect local craftsmanship with design.
Photography by Reuben Diamond
MAKING OF - Inside a small cabin, custom timber furniture, a carved stone basin, and wool textiles connect local craftsmanship with design.
Photography by Reuben Diamond
MAKING OF - Inside a small cabin, custom timber furniture, a carved stone basin, and wool textiles connect local craftsmanship with design.
Photography by Reuben Diamond
MAKING OF - Inside a small cabin, custom timber furniture, a carved stone basin, and wool textiles connect local craftsmanship with design.
Photography by Reuben Diamond

Exploring the Cabin Through Drawings and Plans

The design of Forestone comes to life in its detailed plans and drawings. Floor layouts, elevations, and sectional views reveal how every inclined wall, sloping roof, and carefully positioned opening was calculated for light, airflow, and functionality.

Forestone demonstrates how architecture, education, and ecological responsibility merge in fire-prone forests.
Forestone demonstrates how architecture, education, and ecological responsibility merge in fire-prone forests.
Forestone demonstrates how architecture, education, and ecological responsibility merge in fire-prone forests.
Forestone demonstrates how architecture, education, and ecological responsibility merge in fire-prone forests.
Forestone demonstrates how architecture, education, and ecological responsibility merge in fire-prone forests.
Forestone demonstrates how architecture, education, and ecological responsibility merge in fire-prone forests.
Forestone demonstrates how architecture, education, and ecological responsibility merge in fire-prone forests.
Forestone demonstrates how architecture, education, and ecological responsibility merge in fire-prone forests.
Forestone demonstrates how architecture, education, and ecological responsibility merge in fire-prone forests.
Forestone demonstrates how architecture, education, and ecological responsibility merge in fire-prone forests.
All drawings and diagrams by Students of Master in Ecological Architecture and Advanced Construction

The learn more, watch the ‘making of’ video below.

Forestone Cabin demonstrates that architecture can respond to nature thoughtfully, supporting both human use and ecological stewardship while offering a replicable model for future forest habitats.

Direction: Vicente Guallart, Daniel Ibañez, Michael Salka | Developed by: The students of the Masters programme in Ecological Architecture and Advanced Construction, 2024/25 class: Alexander Bruce Herbig, Ateet Singh, Atticus Cummings, Breno Teixeira Martinelli, Dammes de Zoeten, Georgia Ann Hoyer, Isabel Flores, Jasper Runge, Magdalena Kurdzialek, Nina Poort, Pragyna Madhav Thondapu, Reuben Diamond, Shivani Edukulla, Shanon Shahan, Santosh Shyamsundar, Sipan Celiker Sporidis | Host: Mon Natura Pirineus, Fundacio Catalunya la Pedrera | Valldaura Management: Laia Pifarré | Project Coordination: Esin Aydemir | Assisted by: Bruno Ganem, Oliver Needham, Alkis Avarkiotis | Structural assembly: Fustes Sebastia ( Sergi Sebastia, Emma Sebastia Sarroca, Estel Arnal Llunell) y Tallfusta (Ignasi Caus, David Valldeoriola) | Advised by: Miquel Rodriguez, Elena Orte, Guillermo Sevillano , Firas Safieddine, Rian van Dijk | With the support of: Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera | Volunteers: Andrew Cardona, Grace Yang, Maeve Daley, Sam Hoshin