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This sleek 30-square-metre backyard pavilion, designed by Second Edition, defies the typical aesthetic often associated with ‘salvaged’ or ‘recycled’ abodes.
In fact, the design has been executed so thoughtfully, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was made with virgin materials.
Love Shack is Second Edition’s prototype for material reuse, design for disassembly and small-scale functionality.
‘The core philosophy centres on minimising waste while maximising lifespan in an effort to re-frame predetermined conceptions of how salvaged materials should look and perform,’ says Shahar Cohen, co-founder of Second Edition.
Designed to be used as both an extension of the home and garden, Love Shack operates as a multi-functional studio, living and guest bedroom space thanks to the clever inclusion of adaptable furniture.
In its usual state it is a living room, but a Murphy bed can be pulled down to transform it into a bedroom, and the space can also serve as an office for meetings.
‘The main directive involved maintaining as much of the garden as possible and having a structure that did not impose and overshadow,’ explains Shahar. ‘For this reason, we kept the structure low and small, and introduced doors that allowed transparency through to the back boundary when opened.’
Recycled timber has been used for the structure, including columns, joists, beams and rafters, doors and window frames, whilst crushed marble waste has been used in the render of the facade.
Internally, salvaged tallowwood timber floorboards have been reused for the wall linings and leftover sheets of oak and Oregon veneer were repurposed for the joinery. Even the custom light fixtures have been crafted from the off-cuts of salvaged timber floorboards.
Shahar says they’re most proud of ‘seeing the materials transform from old floorboards and marble scraps to robust and textured elements that bring the project to life.’
Only three elements of the build are new; the tiles, plasterboard and sandblasted aluminium spa.
‘Whilst we originally intended for these components to be salvaged, they were substituted throughout the process of the build due to timing and cost constraints,’ Shahar explains.
Designing and building with recycled materials doesn’t come without its issues. Most notably, while salvaged materials generally come at a lower upfront cost, the design takes more time, which increases the labour cost.
‘Our industry is currently geared towards a linear building process meaning circular processes will generally cost more,’ Shahar says.
‘But, we can work together as an industry by normalising these systems and processes on more projects and being open with our findings between peers… with every iteration the process becomes more efficient and more streamlined.’
Love Shack is just the start.
