Boxes of delight

摘要

This was a delightful thing to do. Architecture thrives on constraints, on doing as much as is possible within the parameters set And here we set some deliberately tough parameters. Our ideal mini-building - which for inspiration looks to Le Corbusier's tiny, perfectly planned 1952 'Cabanon' holiday hut at Cap St Martin, Roquebrune, on the French Riviera - had to be equally compact, and had predominantly to use the sustainable SterlingOSB product of our sponsor, Norbord. We also set a cost ceiling. What's good about this is that such a widely used, basic element of construction seldom gets to be used as a primary, visible structural material in buildings. So there was our challenge - to make the everyday special. To adapt the famous phrase of Louis Kahn about brick: 'What does the board want to be?'