Harvard University

A few summers ago I built a cabin in the secret, inaccessible corner of our yard. This was my first life-size project, larger than all the bird feeders, models or contraptions I loved making. I wanted it to be the clubhouse for my new nature club, a space where my dreams of playing and working with my friends would come true. Yet things did not turn out the way I hoped they would. My parents were building a house that summer, and building palettes of all shapes and sizes were starting to litter the yard. I decided to recycle this free material, measured the palettes, and finally worked out a…