Gallery: Tom Kundig's Buildings Are Half Machine, Half Architecture
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Tom Kundig's Chicken Point Cabin in Idaho that uses a hand crank wheel to open a 6 ton window.
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The system—which employs a counterbalance principle, and lends a mechanical advantage not unlike that provided by a bicycle’s chain drive—allows the home owners to lift and lower the six-ton facade with surprisingly little effort.
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Kundig's Delta Shelter home has steel panels that hide and reveal windows.
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Turning a wheel activates the panel.
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Partially open.
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Fully open.
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The Olsen Kundig offices in Seattle make use of the city's hydraulic pressure to open a skylight.
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The skylight fully open.
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The Sol Duc cabin has steel panels that slide open like a barn door.
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The panels protect the home from Washington's weather when the owners are away.
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The Whistler Ski House fully open.
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The house is designed to give the illusion of floating in the trees.
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The house fully shuttered.
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Another wheel-powered window inspired by Kundig's Chicken Point home.
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The Tacoma Art Museum has sun shades that open and close via a wheel.
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