Key Design Concepts

Ventilation

In order to allow for natural ventilation, Gary Chang designed the suitcase house so the entire exterior of the house was wrapped with folding windows (with only a few small exceptions). While I have not ‘wrapped’ my cabin design with these folding windows, I have come up with a similar solution but on a lesser scale. My ventilation concept consists of a louver design, but in a vertical orientation, which can then be adjusted to control the direction of the ventilation:



These vertical louvers cover the entire west elevation of the building, while there is only one section on the east elevation. Depending on the direction of the wind these louvers can be adjusted to ‘funnel’ the wind into the house to create a more comfortable environment.

Natural light

Much like Chang’s Suitcase House design, the proposed cabin design is quite long and narrow. Being only 4.5 meters wide – in most sections – and the entire west elevation of the house covered in glass, it’s not hard for natural light to find its way into and illuminate the structure.

Multi-functional Spaces

Gary Chang’s use of multi-functional spaces was perhaps the main concept behind his design of the Suitcase house. I have attempted to recreate a space with multiple functions in my cabin design by using similar ideas including Gary’s use of sliding walls and folding floor panels.

Sliding walls



Situated in the living area; the wall slides across the room creating a multifunctional living space. The space can be used as a library, a place to relax and reflect, and a space to watch moves (one of Chang’s hobbies).

Folding floor panels

Bedroom/office


Dinning Room


With the use of folding floor panels I have been able to create more multifunctional spaces including an office/bedroom, and a hidden dinning room situated in the living area.

Public and Private Spaces

In order to separate private from public spaces I have used walls to separate the areas. There are no doors within the cabin – other than to enter and exit the structure – so the house is quite open. The main living space is open plan, and is taller than other sections of the house to make it seem more spacious, while the private areas of the house are at human scale (height wise). Curtains are used to create a more private/intimate environment within the cabin (not just windows, but for more privacy in the bedroom/office and bathroom where there are ‘half-height’ walls separating spaces).