Built Works wraps Yogi's Cabin in East Sussex with charred wood

UK studio Built Works has completed Yogi's Cabin, a 38-square-metre yoga retreat in East Sussex woodland, clad in charred timber using the Japanese Shou Sugi Ban technique. The retreat sits beside a pond at Great Park Farm and features a raised veranda inspired by a traditional Japanese engawa, which wraps the entire exterior and expands into a sit-out area, outdoor shower, and a pontoon. Designed for Architects Holiday, a hospitality company founded by the Built Works team, the cabin prioritizes restorative practice as its primary architectural programme. The east-west axis tracks natural light for morning and evening yoga sessions. Interiors are lined entirely in Douglas fir for minimal distraction, with stainless steel only in the kitchen and bathroom. Founders Will Gowland and Harry Kay built most elements themselves, including bathroom tiles with Kay's children and ceramics from Common Objects, Kay's wife's studio. Curtains block-printed with the cabin's floor plan replace internal doors. Locally sourced larch was charred by hand, and living eaves of local heather and birch tips provide habitat for wildlife. The cabin follows Built Works' earlier Drying Shed Sauna on the same site.