Wally Farms, an experimental farming initiative in upstate New York, has recently introduced two new guesthouses to its property. These tiny cabins, designed by acclaimed urban designer Kaja Kühl in collaboration with architecture studio Coexist and architect Roger Cardinal, blend traditional farmhouse aesthetics with innovative eco-design principles to create charming and climate-positive micro-home prototypes.
Situated near the Hudson Valley, Kühl drew inspiration from the traditional farmworker houses and cabins in the area for the design of these cabins. The cabins feature simple, rectangular designs with pitched roofs, long porches, cedar wood shingles, and black locust wood sidings. Inside, the cabins reflect this simplistic design with two queen beds, a modern kitchen, a cozy loft with a writing nook, and ample natural light. Each cabin is distinguished by its unique roof profile, with one sporting a traditional gable roof and the other a sloped roof for a more dynamic space.
These cabins, part of Kühl’s ongoing exploration of micro-homes, aim to showcase the potential for smaller living and tiny home lifestyles, known for their reduced ecological footprints compared to traditional homes. Occupying 400 square feet (37 square meters) each, these guesthouses are at the maximum size allowed to be classified as micro-homes in the state of New York.
The standout feature of these cabins is the materials used in their construction. In a quest for a low ecological footprint, Kühl employed prefabricated hempcrete bricks combined with hempspray for insulation. Hempcrete, a low-carbon biomaterial made from hemp and lime, efficiently sequesters carbon, offering a more sustainable alternative to materials like timber. Collaborating with Hempstone, Kühl found that the hemp used in two micro-homes like these could sequester the same amount of carbon as 330 tree seedlings. This highlights the potential of hempcrete and other bio-based materials as essential tools in reducing emissions in design and construction practices.
Additionally, the cabins incorporate other sustainable practices. They utilize passive house design principles to achieve thermal comfort without relying on heating or air conditioning. The strategic placement of windows and sliding doors towards the south and west maximizes solar heating, while a solar photovoltaic array nearby generates solar electricity for the cabins. Furthermore, water for the cabins is sourced from a local well on the picturesque grounds of Wally Farms.
Though two small micro-homes may seem insignificant in combating climate change individually, Kühl aims for these guesthouses to serve as a model for the potential of climate-positive construction techniques and to ignite discussions about the benefits of micro-house living.
