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Digital images created by Leckie Studios’ in-house visualization lab, Plus Visual, depict a model Frontcountry cabin that Leckie calls the Surf Hut; it’s slated to be built in summer 2018 on Vancouver Island.
LEADER OF THE PACK AFTER AN INTENSE DAY OF BACKWOODS ADVENTURING, NOTHING BEATS THE SIGHT OF A COZY CABIN IN THE DISTANCE, and no one knows this better than Wilson Edgar,
president of the Vancouver-based BC Mountaineering Club. Two years ago, Edgar, who spends much of his time “out and about in the mountains,” started to consider how to create backcountry buildings that could be flat-packed and assembled virtually anywhere, by anyone. Edgar knew just who to ask for help: architect Michael Leckie, his friend of four decades and a fellow outdoor enthusiast. And so the Backcountry Hut Company was born.
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The result of two creative minds melding their shared passions—sustainable building and wilderness adventure—Backcountry Hut Company buildings are prefabricated, modular, scaleable, mass-customizable, and flat-packed. “We really like the concept of the community barn-raising process,” explains Leckie. The company’s easy-to-construct prefab dwellings are made from FSC-certified wood and 100% recyclable materials. They can be used as all sorts of shelters, from mountaineering huts to simple rural cottages and even summer homes. “The form recognizes the traditional cabin aesthetic,” says Leckie, “while inside it feels almost chapel-like, with open vertical »
RENDERING COURTESY PLUS VISUAL
Written by STEPHANIE MACDONALD
graymag . com
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