# @dwellmagazine on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DMF9_U7RlZw
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/33973817-dwellmagazine-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/b3cac6fb1a.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-07-14T15:29:18.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Dwell (@dwellmagazine) — https://gondola.cc/dwellmagazine

## Caption

A few years ago, Braithwaite was asked to lead a two-week design-build program where students sketch, model, design, and ultimately construct a small to mid-sized project. At first, the architect planned to create a communal boathouse with his students, but after neighborhood pushback, he proposed a pivot. Braithwaite and his family own six acres of rocky, forested land just outside their hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia, but there has never been a place for his family to stay overnight. Why not use his own property for the project instead? The idea evolved into an experimental A-frame residence that would serve as a second home for Braithwaite’s family and a laboratory for his students. “We all openly discussed and voted on the design we would follow for the intensive,” says Matt Gillingham, a student in the program. Once the direction was set, tasks were divided: creating 3D models, preparing orthographic drawings, testing framing options, clearing the site, setting pile foundations, and transporting tools and materials into the woods. “Everyone had an opportunity to dig with a shovel, draw, model, swing a hammer, and build the structural frames,” Gillingham recalls. The team reimagined the classic A-frame cabin, stripping away any trace of an old-fashioned feel to create something innovative, particularly through its footprint. The floor plan features a distinctive kink at the center, added to capture more sunlight and open up panoramic views. Zooming out, it’s clear the design-build process created an engaging, puzzle-solving atmosphere for the students. “One key lesson was how deeply design is intertwined with construction, and how much labor goes into translating drawings into reality,” says Celina Abba, another student. “In school, it’s easy to design without fully considering sequence, material limitations, or detail. This experience made all of that tangible.” See more photos at the link in our bio.
–
Photos by emaphotographi
Story by elizabethgsweet
Architect of Record pb__studio
#moderndesign #modernarchitecture #interiordesign #interiorarchitecture #moderncabin #cabindesign #cabininspiration #aframecabin

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 586
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 4

## Tags

interiordesign, modernarchitecture, aframecabin, moderndesign, interiorarchitecture, moderncabin, cabininspiration, cabindesign

---
Copyright (c) Gondola