The Spirit of the Place
The shoreline of this cabin property on Loon Lake has been ravaged by an invasive species called the pine borer. This has caused the cedars and balsams which once graced this stretch of the lake to die off causing further problems, including an eroding shoreline. The design solution began by rebuilding the shoreline with rocks imported from other areas of the lake where there was a surplus. Ugly remains of trees were tactfully integrated into a fence of driftwood, also collected from around the lake. The driftwood was used for both posts and horizontal ‘boards’ and was bound with birch bark in some places as well. An opening was sculpted to allow people and animals to enter into or onto the lake depending on the season. Ultralocal materials and formal qualities make the fence a seemless feature of the landscape.