Thoreau's Aperture

A Contemporary Redesign of Thoreau's Cabin

2022 Spring

GSD Design Seminar

Instructor: Grace La

Inspired by Henry David Thoreau’s cabin in Walden, the project investigates how minimal spatial conditions—light, view, and enclosure—can support reflection and intimacy with nature. Two apertures anchor the design: one for writing, one for sleeping. While referencing the reductive clarity of Thoreau’s life and writings, the project is trying to create a connection between utility and poetics. Elements typically hidden—such as gutters and downspouts—are folded into the architecture as perceptual and experiential devices.

- Walden by Henry David Thoreau: Chapter 17