I'm pine, Thank you
Regeneration Hub Using Fire-Damaged Timber
| period | 2023 |
| competition | Buildner MICROHOME #6 |
| type | Three-person team project |
| status | Unbuilt competition entry |
| role | Primary CLT wall and roof structure, integration of cultivation, ventilation, and water supply, timber connections and panel system, overall 3D modeling and exploded axonometric drawing |
A Regeneration Hub for Wildfire-Affected Areas on Korea’s East Coast
‘I’m pine, Thank you’ imagines a cycle in which temporary homes are built from trees damaged by wildfire and later remain as hubs for cultivating the next forest.
The March 2022 wildfires in Uljin–Samcheok and Gangneung–Donghae damaged 20,523 hectares of forest. Large wildfires have recurred along Korea’s East Coast, where dry spring weather and strong local winds converge, disrupting both homes and livelihoods tied to the forest.
The proposal develops compact dwellings for one or two occupants that can be deployed across future wildfire-affected sites in the region. Intended occupants include displaced and local residents, field researchers, and members of recovery organizations. After temporary occupancy, the units can remain as small hubs supporting forest-based production and restoration work.
Reusing Fire-Damaged Timber in Architecture
Fire-damaged trees are often chipped or used as fuel. The study referenced in this project examined Korean red pine salvaged immediately after an East Coast wildfire. It found neither marked changes in the wood tissue nor a consistent loss of strength in relation to the severity of fire damage. Taking this finding as a point of departure, the project explored how selected fire-damaged timber could be returned to architectural use.
Image source: Jung Hwan Park, Byung Soo Park, Kug Bo Shim, and Tae Su Jo, “Variation of Material Properties of Fire-killed Timber (I) — Mechanical Properties of Fire-killed Korean Red Pine in the East Coast Area,” Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology 33(6), 2005, pp. 12 and 14, Figs. 3–4.
Selected logs with the charred portions removed are processed into cross-laminated timber (CLT) for the primary structure. Sawdust generated during fabrication is used in insulation panels. The same material stream supplies both structure and insulation.
From Housing Back to the Forest
Selected timber is fabricated into CLT and insulation panels, then transported to affected areas by one-tonne light trucks. Residents can participate in on-site fabrication and assembly, and the completed units accommodate both temporary housing and small-scale production.
At each hub, residents raise ornamental pine bonsai for sale and seedlings for reforestation. They also manage pine seedlings inoculated with matsutake mycorrhiza to support the restoration of matsutake-producing pine forests. Bonsai sales supplement local income, while the reforestation seedlings return to damaged forests. The proposal frames this cycle as a long-term operating model that reconnects local forestry and tourism.
A Small House Designed Around a One-Tonne Truck
The narrow and irregular roads of wildfire-affected mountain communities informed the construction system. Every component is sized for transport by a standard one-tonne light truck. The triangular walls and pitched roof are dimensioned around a small set of repeatable panel types, which are assembled on site using timber connections.
At the center of the building is a deep, load-bearing CLT wall integrated with shelving. It is designed to carry the roof’s gravity loads and resist lateral forces while providing storage and work surfaces for domestic life and plant care. A rafter system frames the roof. Sawdust generated during timber fabrication is divided into smaller infill packs and enclosed within vapor-control and waterproof layers to form the insulation panels.
A Structural Wall Linking Daily Life and Forest Stewardship
Within the competition’s 25 m² limit, the plan accommodates a kitchen, sleeping area, bathroom, and utility room. A deep structural wall forms the threshold between the interior and balcony, with shelving accessible from both sides. Residents use these shelves to tend pine bonsai and seedlings for reforestation. Operable upper windows open the work area to the outdoors and support natural ventilation.
In section, the structural wall connects the living floor with the ground-level workspace on the slope. The upper shelves hold pine bonsai and reforestation seedlings, while the lower outdoor shelves are used to tend matsutake-inoculated pine seedlings. Water lines integrated into the wall supply both cultivation areas and the utility room, connecting them to a communal water tower and the water-supply and wastewater tanks below the unit.
A single wall combines structure, storage, water distribution, ventilation, and plant cultivation, organizing domestic life and forest stewardship within a compact dwelling.
A Hub That Remains in the Forest
Raised above the slope, the living floor opens onto a balcony connected to the pine-care area. At ground level, the lower workspace accommodates matsutake-inoculated pine seedlings. Domestic life and cultivation continue at different elevations along the same structural wall.
Storage and work surfaces are concentrated around the structural wall and kitchen cabinetry, while the sleeping area occupies the space beneath the pitched roof. Beyond the window, the plant-care area remains part of everyday life.
Once temporary occupancy ends, the unit can remain as a small forest-management hub for reforestation and matsutake-inoculated pine seedlings. By turning fire-damaged timber into a home that helps cultivate the next forest, the proposal completes its cycle of recovery.