Another Place
At Another Place - a verdant 10.5 acres of sugar maple and white pine 5 miles inland from Lake Michigan in rural Benzie County, MI - we are dedicated to slow building, land stewardship, and artistic research.
The cabin operates as a living laboratory and the building process brings together artists, designers, builders, and fabricators to test regenerative construction methods in real time.
What is straw
About Straw SIPs
Straw SIPs, Structural Insulated Panels, are made from compressed agricultural by-products and offer strong insulation, low embodied carbon, and non-toxic interior environments. As a building system, they address intersecting climate and housing challenges while supporting regional material supply chains and new forms of rural and creative infrastructure.
The building process
Driven by curiosity and built on purpose, this is where bold thinking meets thoughtful execution. Let’s create something meaningful together.
The straw panel cabin at Another Place is an experimental building project exploring how architecture can emerge from local agricultural waste, collaborative design, and ecological care. Designed by Elle Gover and Ellen Rutt in collaboration with Bale Craft, the cabin is Michigan’s first permitted structure built with prefabricated straw panels — demonstrating a viable path toward low-carbon, healthy construction.
