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Long before he went to architecture school. Andy Neumann was a champion surfer. So it’s no wonder he refers to his 800-square-foot, solar-powered retreat as “the surf shack.” The strongly geometric cube-shaped cabin, located 2 miles up a canyon in California’s Central Coast, packs a lot of design ideas–from storage walls to a hearth-desk–into a compact space overlooking a creek in rolling, oak-studded ranchland.

“I had the luxury of camping here for three years and taking my time to get a bead on my design,” says Andy, who shares the retreat with his wife, Yvonne. “I knew I wanted to experience the outdoors while being sheltered in an uncomplicated way.” The kitchen/living/dining area and enclosed bathroom occupy the cube; a bedroom is attached to one side like a saddlebag. The shedlike main roof is actually two triangular planes forming a trough that echoes the canyon slope and channels runoff to a salvaged anchor chain. Sliding window walls on four sides and at a corner of the living area open the house to the landscape.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The remote site is in a high fire-risk zone, so Andy used non-combustive building materials (including 10-inch-thick plaster-and-metal lath walls that are the color of the earth) and eliminated roof overhangs, a common transfer point for wildfires. Electric power is generated by solar panels on top of the south-facing detached, one-car garage. Large-capacity military-surplus batteries are used to store the energy, eliminating the need for a generator. The cabin’s mechanical systems are in the garage, which keeps the main living quarters tranquil. Propane powers a very quiet refrigerator and stove, and heats the water for the radiant heating in the poured-concrete floors.

The layout of the cabin exemplifies Andy’s pared-down aesthetic. “My brother-in-law built me a large maple ‘box’ that I pushed into the corner,” he says. The outside wall of the box contains cubicles for kitchen storage and books. Inside is a bathroom and walk-in closet; on top is a study/loft with two beds.

The cabin is both a launchpad for surfing and a place to relax in the rugged landscape. As for the sleek geometry, Andy says, “It honors the spirit of freedom that drew me here in the first place.”–SUSAN STILES DOWELL

DESIGN: Neumann Mendro Andrulaitis Architects, Carpinteria, CA (www.NMAArchitects.com or 805/684-8885)

Nature and nurture

The cabin’s design incorporates contemporary and vintage features, along with an earthy color palette that ranges from dusty tan to bright red.

A wraparound mantel accentuates the sculptural geometry of the fireplace. It neatly divides display space from a convenient wood storage area. The top of the firebox functions as a secondary mantel.

To be launched in 2008, the ‘people’s car’ will cost just 100,000 rupees (pounds 1,300) and is set to become the Model T Ford for the 21st century.

The vehicle will be aimed at the Indian market where car ownership is low. Tata hopes to price the car cheaply enough to tempt people off their bicycles and motorcycles and on to four wheels.

The project is the brainchild of Ratan Tata, chairman of India’s largest conglomerate. He plans to defy his many critics, who claim that a car cannot be mass-produced so cheaply.

While the car will hardly be sporty ” with an engine expected to be around the 600cc mark ” Mr Tata has told his designers that the vehicle must not be seen as a stripped-down version of a normal car.

To keep costs to a minimum, many of the body parts of what is known as the ‘1 Lakh Car’ will be made out of plastic. And Tata is exploring the possibility of selling the car in kit form, with final assembly of the vehicles to be completed in rural workshops in India.

The designs for the car remain on the drawing board. A Tata spokesman said: ‘The car is still in development. Because car ownership is so minimal in India, it will be aimed at this market.’

Paul Newton, automotive expert at the research group, Global Insight, said: ‘Tata’s strategy is to get people off their Honda bikes and into cars. India is a unique market as the market for cars under $10,000 [pounds 5,600] accounted for 70 per cent of the growth last year.’

Last year there were more than one million cars sold in India. The growth in sales has been fuelled by rising disposable incomes and the willingness of India’s banks to lend money for car purchases.

While small, cheap cars are the big driver in the Indian market, luxury car makers such as Mercedes-Benz are also targeting the country’s increasingly affluent middle class.

Tata’s ambitions to make an ultra-cheap car have been called into question by its rivals. One of the doubters is India’s largest car maker, Maruti Udyog, which currently makes the subcontinent’s cheapest and best-selling car, the M800, selling for around 200,000 rupees.

“We hear suggestions from our customers all the time about different flavors we should be offering, now everyone has an opportunity to make some history at Ben & Jerry’s,” said Sean Greenwood, PR Poobah for Ben & Jerry’s.

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