Kasa Cabin by Sally Meaton Architects and Invue Homes

Set amid dense rainforest in the Blue Mountains, Kasa Cabin is a robust and compact dwelling that celebrates the joy and beauty of its remote surroundings.

After stumbling across Mount Wilson on a canyoning adventure in 2018, architect Sally Meaton and builder Karl Whitehead of Invue Homes purchased the secluded site with the ambition to create a tiny home for weekend getaways. While the brief soon expanded to accommodate the couple’s two small children, the duo pursued their vision for a cosy cabin with a simple program of spaces – a humble holiday respite to enjoy the outdoors as a family.

While the brief soon expanded to accommodate the couple’s two small children, the duo pursued their vision for a cosy cabin with a simple program of spaces – a humble holiday respite to enjoy the outdoors as a family.

Meaton and Whitehead designed the house over six months while they camped on site to carefully understand its nuances. “We wanted to minimise our impact on the property’s five acres of ecologically endangered wet sclerophyll forest and threatened rainforest and wildlife species,” says Meaton. The couple repurposed an existing clearing at the site’s centre, the proportions of which informed Kasa Cabin’s compact, 140-square-metre footprint.

“We also had to work within the confines of the highest level of bushfire attack rating,” reveals Whitehead. Seeking a resilient, flame-resistant masonry product, Whitehead opted to work with natural rammed earth – a building material that had intrigued him since his younger years living in Portugal and Spain. Despite Kasa Cabin being his first rammed-earth build, Whitehead tested a series of locally quarried soils to achieve a sandy hue and integrated a series of technical details, including mitred profiles, that neatly conceal the home’s off-form concrete beams. Complemented by standing seam metal roofing and off-form concrete slabs with recessed flame-zone shutters, the cabin poetically addresses the threat of direct exposure to a fire front.

Seeking a resilient, flame-resistant masonry product, Whitehead opted to work with natural rammed earth – a building material that had intrigued him since his younger years living in Portugal and Spain.

Glazing to the northern elevation frames continuous views to the site’s mountain ash trees and ferns, connecting the family with the verdant landscape. A double-height void over the kitchen, dining and living areas offers a sense of generosity, celebrating the cabin’s verticality and drawing visual connections between spaces. The main bedroom suite is oriented to the north-east to capture sunrise views, while a covered outdoor area and fireplace sits to the north-west to enjoy at sunset. Stairs are discreetly tucked behind the kitchen, leading to a guest bedroom and children’s bedroom, playfully accessed via a suspended cargo net.

Kasa Cabin’s rammed-earth walls imbue the interior with warmth and tactility, enhanced by raw fibre cement ceilings and a series of heroic timber elements – crafted from timber milled from the site’s fallen trees. While some logs could be cut and milled on site, “one mountain ash was so large that it was transported in segments to be milled offsite on a purpose-built machine and dried in a solar kiln,” reveals Meaton. Six large slabs of this timber are laid as flooring in the cabin’s main volume, spanning 6.5-metres in length, while other lengths make up the sliding bedroom door, bathroom and wardrobe joinery, and a bespoke dining table, built by Whitehead. “Using the site’s timber was a massive undertaking but an incredibly fulfilling aspect of the project,” he reflects.

Kasa Cabin’s rammed-earth walls imbue the interior with warmth and tactility, enhanced by raw fibre cement ceilings and a series of heroic timber elements – crafted from timber milled from the site’s fallen trees.

Sensitively honouring the site in its scale, positioning and material language, Kasa Cabin presents a captivating and place-specific retreat for the family. The airtight and heavily insulated building envelope effectively counters the dampness of its rainforest surroundings, presenting a comfortable escape for the family to enjoy for many years to come. “We’re in awe of the process – it’s been a labour of love but seeing our kids run around the property, watch the stars and spy new creatures has been the best reward,” muses Meaton.

Architecture and interior design by Sally Meaton Architects. Build by Invue Homes. Joinery by Mark Fullagar.