The Backcountry Hut Company has been selected by IDS Toronto to provide the Design Concept House for the latest edition taking place from January 17 to 20, 2019. Responding to IDS’ theme ‘ Power of Design ,’ this year’s full-scale concept house enables visitors to enter and experience a new ‘kit-of-parts’ approach to the creation of small scale structures. The design concept presents a modernist interpretation of the notion of rustic wilderness living, based on the spirit of Canadian outdoor culture.
The approach consists of a prefabricated, flat-packed, mass-customizable system that can be configured to meet a wide range of individual needs. The Great Lakes Cabin – designed by Leckie Studio – is being presented at IDS as the latest edition of The Backcountry Hut Company product offering. The system provides a premium quality shelter suitable for remote locations, with capabilities to withstand the harshest weather conditions. The aesthetic and materials of the Great Lakes Cabin takes cues from the environment of the landscape of the Canadian Shield, Cottage Country, and the Great Lakes Region of North America.
Image © Leckie Studio Architecture + Design 
Image © Leckie Studio Architecture + Design
The compact structure is crafted to have a minimal environmental impact on the site. Every square inch of its 670 square foot (62.2 square metres) footprint is utilized, featuring a lofted sleeping area, a bathroom, and a covered exterior deck. The envelope system can be customized to meet Net Zero and Passive House standards. The cabin interior is divided into two different spaces with separate functions: a sleeping loft, and an open plan ‘great room’ for cooking, living, and dining. A fully-glazed end wall creates a large aperture for a strong visual connection with nature. The Backcountry Hut Company has developed a kit-of-parts solution to shelter through the provision of a flat-packed system with the following characteristics:
Prefabrication: The ‘kit-of-parts’ hut system is designed as an engineered wood post-and-beam frame that is then layered with prefabricated insulated panels. A simple nail-on window system is provided, and prefabricated cladding modules are then applied.
Modularity: The standardized structural modules can be combined to adjust the size, and adapt the structure for different needs, whether for one person, or a group.
Ease of Assembly: The components easily fit together with pre-engineered connections, and the scale of the building affords it’s assembly by a group of volunteers with minimal tools, through the use of traditional ‘barn-raising’ techniques. The system is built on a pile system with minimal site work required, diminishing the building’s environmental impact on the site
Customization: The shell and interior fit-out are separate platforms, allowing for customization for a range of possible needs and scenarios – whether the intended use is for outdoor recreation or urban living.
Sustainability: The cabin uses FSC certified lumber and engineered wood products, 100% recyclable components, and adopts a zero-waste philosophy. Source by The Backcountry Hut Company.
Image © Leckie Studio Architecture + Design 
Image © Leckie Studio Architecture + Design
- Location: 20 Eglinton Avenue West, Suite 1200, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Design and Curation: Leckie Studio Architecture + Design
- Interiors Curation: Leckie Studio
- Production: The Backcountry Hut Company
- Construction: Cascadianwoodtech
- Public Exhibition Dates: January 18 – January 20
- IDS Welcome Party: January 17th
- IDS Toronto Opening date: January 17th
- Images: Courtesy of Leckie Studio Architecture + Design
Image © Leckie Studio Architecture + Design Image © Leckie Studio Architecture + Design 
Image © Leckie Studio Architecture + Design Image © Leckie Studio Architecture + Design Image © Leckie Studio Architecture + Design