Welcome to the Hive!

When our client asked us for a sustainable cottage off the grid, we had a lot of boxes to check, and most of them were solar-powered. He wanted energy independence and recycled warehouse steel, as well as a charred wood exterior that looked like it survived a wildfire. (The Shou Sugi Ban siding references the fire-adapted longleaf pine ecosystem surrounding the house).

We positioned the living pavilion on a hill crest to maximize creek views, utilizing the exposed steel at 10-foot centers to support a vegetated roof system, essentially a rooftop garden. A separate 80-foot solar shed generates 1,200 kilowatt-hours monthly while housing guest quarters underneath, transforming infrastructure into architecture.

With a vegetated roof that returns more water than the house uses and a 200-foot pier for boat access, this “more Tom Petty than Radiohead” design demonstrates that sustainable living can be poetic as well as practical.