Crib renderings approximate a living space and kitchen (below).
JULY/AUGUST 2011
When architect Jeffery Broadhurst designed and built a spartan weekend retreat on his property in West Virginia, little did he know that the diminutive structure would land him design awards and press coverage. Soon, he began getting calls from homeowners worldwide interested in similar abodes to serve as everything from home offices to fishing cottages to cabins at a South Pacific eco-resort. “There’s a romantic notion to having a small structure that you can escape to,” says Broadhurst, principal of Broadhurst Architects in Rockville, Maryland.
He began plans for a DC client who wanted a sustainable, “shack-esque” shelter on his Chesapeake Bay property. Though the project never materialized, Broadhurst decided to build it as a prototype and bring his creation, called The Crib, to market in pre-fabricated form.
Just as this issue went to press, Silver Spring contractor Added Dimensions was completing the prototype on the grounds of the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda. A model in sustainable construction, the structure employs recycled materials, state-of-the-art insulation, a rain-water collection system and energy-efficient lighting. Landscape architect Lila Fendrick designed the surrounding gardens, which were installed by Neal Cogswell of Solar Gardens, Inc.
The Crib will be open to the public for tours and will also house artists in residence at the Center. It will remain at Strathmore for a year or two—at which point it can be dismantled and moved to a buyer’s own site—the ultimate in recycling.
And if it doesn’t sell? “The worst case scenario,” says Broadhurst, “is we bring it up to our property in West Virginia and have an enhanced place to stay on weekends.” For more information, visit thecrib.info