Aamodt Plumb: Smokehouse

Young Cambridge, Massachusetts-based architecture studio Aamodt Plumb Architects has recently completed its second project in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Located at the scenic River Trail, the Smokehouse is a collaboration with felt artist Rebecca Howdeshell, and one of three winning entries to The Warming Huts v.2013: An Art + Architecture Competition on Ice, a design competition that seeks to “push the envelope of design, craft and art”.

Responding to the harsh winter conditions of the site, the Smokehouse is a small hut that seeks to use form and materiality to provide and signify shelter and warmth. The charred wood exterior alludes to the fire within, rendering the structure resistant to fire, rot and pests. The interior is lined with industrial wool felt, also naturally fire resistant, providing insulation and wind break. The felt is shingled, with some of the panels embossed by Howdeshell with prehistoric imagery from the area. The structure has a single small entrance, and a vent hole in the roof that acts like a chimney.

“The elemental, pure form of the hut, almost the very symbol of home, rendered in the stark black of charred wood, is nestled in soft white snow," state the architects. "Inside, layers of thick ivory felt line the walls and seating, creating a nest-like interior reminiscent of ancient gathering places strewn with animal pelts. On closer inspection, one discovers the felt layers embossed with delicate patterns and textures, a subtle sanctification of intimate space. The room has a unique sound, or absence thereof: it is silent, like the sound of new snow on the street.”