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Modern summer home by Akb emerges from cluster of scattered islands in Ontario's Georgian Bay

2024-08-29T17:37:00-04:00

Toronto-based architecture and interior design studio Atelier Kastelic Buffey (Akb) has designed a modern cottage secluded amidst the natural beauty of Ontario’s Georgian Bay.

Image: Doublespace

The retreat is located three hours north of Toronto on a small island called Whistling Wind in a community named Pointe Au Baril. The region is defined by the expansive sky, open waters, and the many rock archipelagoes that are scattered along the coast of the Bay, forming many narrow waterways.

Image: Doublespace

The cottage comprises four pitch-roofed structures, which are each scaled proportionately to fit the island’s one-acre size. They are clad in silver-weathered cedar shingles, and, in certain light conditions, they are barely discernible from the brownish-gray rocks that surround them.

Image: Doublespace

The main cottage is at the highest elevation, and it is joined by a smaller cabin, a sauna, and a boat storage, which also contains a small fitness room. They are situated on differe...

Handcrafted quality and a reverence for the Canadian wilderness makes this Kariouk Architects-designed family retreat stand out

2024-07-19T16:55:00-04:00

Ottawa-based architecture firm Kariouk Architects has designed a family retreat defined by its open spaces and close relationship to the landscape in a remote Ontarian forest.

Photo: Scott Norsworthy

The home was designed for a large family who wanted a large space for summer and winter holidays that would allow visitors to be comfortable in a remote area for long stays. The clients also wanted the project to promote and be aligned with the surrounding environment. The architects honored this through the house’s visual and material harmonization with its surroundings, responsible material sourcing and site adaptation, and energy-saving systems. Most notably, almost all of the natural habitat of the 100-acre property was preserved.

Photo: Scott Norsworthy

A primary objective of the retreat’s design was to achieve a contemporary approach to warmth and the avoidance of modernist box-like forms. This is evident in the continuous space of the home, where only bedrooms and bathrooms are cl...

A perfect cube chalet occupies a rural Canadian forest

2024-04-07T08:00:00-04:00

Montreal-based practice Maurice Martel architecte has completed a rural rustic home in Mandeville, Canada.

Set within a forest and bordered by a river, the Rustic Grade chalet is described as “the ideal mini-home to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life in the outside world.”

Image credit: Adrien Williams

The architecture of the chalet strikes a minimalist tone, taking a simplistic cube form.

The home is clad in a “meticulous choice of durable and maintenance-free materials,” with the form and lines of the cube contrasting with the organic nature of the forest.

Image credit: Adrien Williams

The number of openings is limited to improve energy efficiency, with the orientation of each window carefully chosen to maximize natural light while taking advantage of river views.

Image credit: Adrien Williams

The footprint of the home itself was also deliberately restricted, “embodying the quintessence of an economical dwelling wit...

Our first annual 'T-Bars for T-Squares' ski retreat was a huge hit

2020-03-06T15:39:00-05:00

We're just catching our breath after an amazing four days of skiing, drinking, eating, and hot tubbing in Utah's beautiful Snowbird/Alta ski resorts. Architects, designers, and artists came together from around the country, representing SHoP, Brininstool + Lynch, K&Co, Imbue Design, Artistic Tile, LOC, Ball-Nogues, & Gensler. We even had some ex-White House staff with us, telling stories of their time helping to get Obama elected!

Snowbird Mountain, photo by Matt Swindel

We're already starting to plan next year's retreat. If you'd like to be the first to hear about it, sign up to our T-Bars for T-Squares mailing list for updates.

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