Tucked into an ancient woodland in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in southern England, the Looking Glass Lodge by Michael Kendrick Architects is an eco-friendly cabin designed for immersion in nature with minimal environmental disruption. The lodge was commissioned by a client whose parents had spent decades cultivating the woodland, and the project's goal was to share the landscape with guests while preserving the area's sensitive ecology. The modest, 49-square-meter structure is deliberately unobtrusive, appearing to float among the trees on its sloped site. A key feature of the design is the use of floor-to-ceiling electrochromic glass facades on the front and rear of the lodge. This intelligent glazing automatically adjusts its transparency to provide privacy and control solar heat gain, while also preventing light pollution at night, which helps protect the local bat population. The large, seamless windows maximize views of the woodland and create a "looking glass" effect, making the interior feel intimately connected to its surroundings. The lodge was constructed by local craftsmen from nearby Hastings, with much of the fabrication done off-site to minimize on-site disruption. Its low-impact design includes a hybrid steel and timber-framed structure supported by steel screw piles. This foundation system avoids damaging the tree roots, ensures no trees were felled, and allows for unobstructed movement of wildlife across the site. The exterior is clad in untreated Western red cedar, which will weather to a silvery-grey color over time, blending naturally with the environment. Inside, the Scandinavian-inspired interior features a warm material palette of Western red cedar lining and birch plywood cabinetry. An open-plan layout contains a living area with a wood-burning stove fueled by timber from fallen local trees, a custom kitchen, and a private bedroom. The bathroom includes a freestanding bathtub with expansive views of the forest, further cementing the lodge's biophilic design principles. Project credits Architecture: Michael Kendrick Architects Structural Engineer: Momentum (Project Engineer: Pamela Ewang) Landscaper: Rutty Sark Gardens Ecological Consultant: The Ecology Consultancy Interior Designer: Looking Glass Lodge Photography: Tom Bird