Project Facts
Location
Lake Huron, ON
Status
Completed 2014
Size
26,000 Sq. Ft.
Partner
Perched on a cliff above the shores of Lake Huron, this lakeside retreat and think-tank was conceptualized as a place where inspiration would be drawn from engagement with nature. The project is comprised of a primary building rising above the cliff—its wings stretched parallel to the shore—and a beach pavilion nestled within the cliff at the water’s edge. The design achieves the highest level of sustainability with an emphasis on minimizing the building’s ecological impact over time. The approach to the primary building winds through a 120-acre property along the path of a ravine, past a pond and an apple orchard. The circulation inside the building mimics this meditative path and every detail is crafted to fit, including millwork and furniture.
Significant research and development were used to create a project that blurs the boundaries between exterior and interior, building and nature, richness and simplicity, traditional material and innovative technologies, to create an oasis for thought and rest.
Project Facts
Location
Lake Huron, ON
Status
Completed 2014
Size
26,000 Sq. Ft.
Partner
Original Sketch by Siamak Hariri
Original Sketch by Siamak Hariri
The central space is a four-storey apex of cantilevered, stacked volumes. This stack features the main circulation as well as various communal areas, including a cinema, playroom and a double-height living room with the feature working space at the top.
The central space is a four-storey apex of cantilevered, stacked volumes. This stack features the main circulation as well as various communal areas, including a cinema, playroom and a double-height living room with the feature working space at the top.
Expansive panels of insulated glass measuring up to thirteen metres by three metres are joined with slender mullions to allow for spectacular, unobstructed, panoramic views of landscape, sky, and the sunset over Lake Huron.
Expansive panels of insulated glass measuring up to thirteen metres by three metres are joined with slender mullions to allow for spectacular, unobstructed, panoramic views of landscape, sky, and the sunset over Lake Huron.
The feature staircase is curved and made of a continuous ribbon of steel on the inside edge, with cantilevered treads of solid limestone radiating out.
The feature staircase is curved and made of a continuous ribbon of steel on the inside edge, with cantilevered treads of solid limestone radiating out.
Many of the building materials were locally sourced, including the Algonquin limestone, of which the majority of the structure is comprised.
Many of the building materials were locally sourced, including the Algonquin limestone, of which the majority of the structure is comprised.
