Isotope

This project involved the replacement of a small unwinterized cabin on Bass Lake, one of the smaller lakes in Muskoka.

The project had a modest program on 1,600 square feet and three bedrooms with a large open concept living, dining and kitchen area. Cost was top of mind for the owners, so an efficient floor plan with minimal circulation was required. A large deck overlooks the lake.

Due to the site sloping toward the lake, the basement was able to be configured with a walkout patio, allowing more space downstairs for a recreation area, laundry, mechanical and an extra bedroom. The building is insulated to modern standards with an efficient heating system for low operating costs. Exterior materials include pre-stained wood siding, asphalt roof and cedar soffits.

Following the contours of the site, the plan encloses a courtyard on the entry side. From this viewpoint the entry side is relatively opaque, in order that the occupants may focus on the lake, and not the cars, the road, and the city they left behind.

The design is a metaphor of a series of cabins in the woods connected by a common roof with outdoor spaces in between. On arrival, one crosses a threshold and enters between two of the cabins into a large open public space which has a seamless connection to the outdoors, giving the viewer the sense that they are under a large indoor/outdoor pavilion. This pavilion houses the living, dining and kitchen areas. A secondary corridor at the rear accommodates a pantry room and a small work station, overlooking the courtyard. The clerestory windows above the main living space contribute to the outdoor ambience and when open will provide a natural ventilation system using the stack effect.

A corner bay creates a kind of inglenook along the fireplace wall to house either a games area or simply seating to allow the occupants to sit and gaze at the lake. Windows are floor to ceiling, wall to wall which provides the maximum daylight and minimum glare while maximizing views to the outdoors. Most areas of the house have daylight from multiple directions, again minimizing glare and avoiding the need for electric light in the daytime. Exterior soffits continue inside through the exterior glazing to create valances, further blurring the line between indoors and outdoors, and creating even daylighting.

A three-sided screened porch is located at the west end of the house off the kitchen and is connected to the lake through a deck. The three sides allow for a cross breeze off the lake, and its location at one end of the house allows for unobstructed views to the lake from the main living spaces.

The L-shaped floor plan not only wraps the courtyard, but also follows the site contours to integrate the house into the landscape. The east wing of the ‘L’ houses the bedrooms and allows each bedroom a view of the lake. The connecting corridor houses storage areas, a powder room and the laundry room with a view at the end of the hall. This walkway acts as a connection to the bedrooms but is designed as negative space—that is it almost feels like the bedrooms are cabins connected by an outdoor covered passageway. This also maximizes one’s connection to the outdoors while providing daylight and views to a space that might otherwise simply be considered a mundane corridor.

This five-bedroom house faces west on a bay in the west end of Lake Muskoka. A small peninsula projects into the lake in front of the property and houses a small ornamental lighthouse.

The building follows the setback from the water creating a plan which hinges back at great room and maximizes lake views and natural daylighting. The great room is contiguous with the screened porch, which can be fully opened into the main great room through folding panel doors, creating one large open space. An outdoor kitchen is located outside the screened porch on a deck overlooking the lake, and new boathouse.

The master bedroom is located at the opposite end of the house from the other bedrooms and steps up three risers to accommodate the rising landscape and creating views to the lake.

The lower level has two bedrooms, a recreation area, and mechanical rooms, and is designed as a walkout to reinforce the feeling of being on a main floor and not a basement.

The house id situated on the site to work with the landscape, and existing vegetation to avoid removing as many trees and rocks as possible and can barely be seen from the water. The result is a building that is integrated with its surroundings and looks as though it has always been there.

The original 1950’s ‘arts and crafts’ bungalow located in a ‘leafy’ Port Credit neighbourhood steps from Lake Ontario was a little cramped for a family of five.

Rather than tear down the original house and build a new larger home as is the norm these days, the client wanted to expand the house without impacting upon the extensive mature landscape that includes a small pond beside the house.

The solution was to create a vertical addition. The addition was set back from the ridge line of the bungalow’s roof to ensure the scale and form of the original home remained legible. By off setting the second floor addition, the design provided the much needed sleeping rooms for the family but also offered outdoor covered spaces for El Fresco dining and entertaining which were protected from direct sunlight or an unexpected rain shower.

The master bedroom was designed to project beyond the original building and hover over the beautiful landscape below. A large window provides the clients with a wonderful view of their intimate property. To minimize the impact on the vegetation, helical piles were used to support the projecting addition.

The addition was clad in fibre-cement panels in a charcoal grey that blends with the roof of the original house while providing a contemporary architectural expression quite distinct from the original bungalow below. The juxtaposition between the old and the new enhances the qualities and textures of the original bungalow while providing the family with a house that is twice the size.

Situated on a bay on Lake Rosseau in Muskoka, this cottage is located at the foot of a cliff, right at the water’s edge.

The location is grandfathered in as it is a replacement of an existing one-storey cottage sharing the original footprint. This accounts for the project’s direct proximity to the water.

The limited footprint necessitated a two-storey design. The second storey is perched above the open plan below, and with the backdrop of the cliff behind it, the second storey appears nested in the rugged landscape.

The central two-storey living space is flanked on the ground floor by the kitchen/dining area and the den and screened porch on the other. At the second level bedrooms are situated on either side of the two-storey space and a bridge connecting both sides. The clerestorey window spans the building and faces the cliff allowing views back and ample north light.

The two-storey window wall faces the lake and frames spectacular views of Skeleton Bay.

This 5 bedroom, one-storey recreational home hugs the landscape and rock overlooking Lake Muskoka.

The T-shaped plan houses the great room and kitchen at the south end, with attached garage, and the bedroom wing at the north end. Most bedrooms have a view of the lake, and the main concept is to have a completely daylit interior which maximizes views and brings the outdoors in.