As final Thesis project at Auburn's Rural Studio, Matt volunteered to take on the complex challenge of using "Roundwood", or small diameter trees in their raw form.  The challenge of using the small timbers is that they twist and shrink as they age.  The solution of the Roundwood house team was to create a unique joint that allowed the wood members to shrink and twist over time without effecting the stability or airtightness of the structure.  The unique joint was used as a way to create a structural truss with the roundwood members and wrap a weathertight skin around the truss without connecting any of the standard building materials directly to the unstable roundwood members.