Lake Huron House / SAOTA

Lake Huron House / SAOTA - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Table, Windows, ChairLake Huron House / SAOTA - Interior Photography, Living Room, TableLake Huron House / SAOTA - Interior Photography, StairsLake Huron House / SAOTA - Exterior Photography, Facade, ConcreteLake Huron House / SAOTA - More Images+ 30

  • Architect In Charge: SAOTA
  • Design Team: Mark Bullivant, Johan Basson, Paulina Paz
  • Copy By: Graham Wood
  • Country: Canada
More SpecsLess Specs
Lake Huron House / SAOTA - Exterior Photography, Facade, Concrete
© Adam Letch

Text description provided by the architects. This summer house is set on the banks of Lake Huron in a small, remote Canadian town about an hour’s drive from London, Ontario. While the architectural context might be characterised as somewhat conservative “cabin country”, this house attempts to extend the possibilities of the traditional lakeside family retreat through a contemporary architectural approach, harnessing recent developments in design, technology and sustainability to connect meaningfully with its beautiful natural setting while exploring new ways of enhancing the lifestyle experience of the family summer getaway.

Lake Huron House / SAOTA - Interior Photography, Living Room, Table, Lighting, Chair
© Adam Letch
Lake Huron House / SAOTA - Image 28 of 35
Ground Floor Plan
Lake Huron House / SAOTA - Interior Photography, Table, Chair
© Adam Letch

While the aesthetic approach that Cape Town-based architecture firm SAOTA took might seem like a radical departure from the traditional regional architecture, the architects have taken great care to keep the design unobtrusive and sensitive to its setting, while still making an architectural statement.

Lake Huron House / SAOTA - Interior Photography, Living Room, Table
© Adam Letch

The site is a bluff occupying the transitional space between water and forest, rising 3.5m from road level and then dropping down to the water to create a grassy embankment. The building is set back on the property towards the street to preserve the natural bluff. On approach, the house is largely concealed by the surrounding mature fir trees, appearing as a simple light-colored stone box floating effortlessly between the tree trunks. The rear of the house, facing Lake Huron, dissolves into a two-storey wall of glass washing natural light deep into the interiors.

Lake Huron House / SAOTA - Interior Photography, Living Room, Table
© Adam Letch
Lake Huron House / SAOTA - Image 30 of 35
First Floor Plan
Lake Huron House / SAOTA - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Table, Windows, Chair
© Adam Letch

Conceptually, the design consists of a series of stacked and suspended rectangular boxes, one embedding the building into the ground plane, the other suspended overhead to allow the living level to exist between the volumes. An indoor/outdoor volume to the south anchors the building and maximizes the site’s lakeside views while allowing the living spaces to occupy the foreground. A bank of bedrooms projects backwards above the garage.

Lake Huron House / SAOTA - Interior Photography, Stairs
© Adam Letch

The way in which the building is largely obscured from the street and in turn screens views of the lake   helps build suspense on arrival, only to satisfy the sense of anticipation on entry via the large pivot door. From the threshold, a dramatic triple-volume atrium lets in natural light and draws the eye outwards towards the view.

Lake Huron House / SAOTA - Interior Photography, Facade, Beam, Steel
© Adam Letch
Lake Huron House / SAOTA - Image 35 of 35
Sections BB and CC
Lake Huron House / SAOTA - Exterior Photography, Stairs, Garden
© Adam Letch

Programmatically, in keeping with the client brief, the spaces are fluid, the levels easy to navigate and the layout simple and well-structured, allowing for a casual atmosphere. The vast central volume is subtly contrasted with more intimate and contained volumes in the kitchen and other living spaces for a varied and articulated spatial experience.

Lake Huron House / SAOTA - Exterior Photography
© Adam Letch

The upper-level housing the master bedroom is devoted entirely to the owners’ private space, including an office and a gym. To the front of the house, a covered outdoor entertainment area flanks a swimming pool. A boardwalk and staircase descend to a refurbished cabin that predated the house, and now houses a guest suite and additional outdoor entertainment area to facilitate long summer days playing on the lake.

Lake Huron House / SAOTA - Exterior Photography, Facade, Concrete
© Adam Letch
Lake Huron House / SAOTA - Image 29 of 35
North and South Elevations
Lake Huron House / SAOTA - Exterior Photography, Facade, Concrete
© Adam Letch

The client’s favorite room is the ‘engine room’ on the lowest floor, which houses all the building services infrastructure. A commercial-grade Building Automation System (BAS) controls and monitors the home, ensuring optimum performance at all times. A 15kw solar array provides power to the home and excess power is regularly fed back into the utility grid for credit and later use. The limited municipal infrastructure for storm-water and sewer resulted in an on-property underground storm-water system that can handle a 100-year storm and an eco-flo septic system to deal with all sewer requirements on site.

Lake Huron House / SAOTA - Exterior Photography
© Adam Letch

The finishes, externally and internally, favor a ceramic paneled system robust and hard-wearing enough to prove long-lasting in the extremes of the Canadian climate, which together with the home’s energy efficiency and the general longevity of the project and its materials, components and fittings contribute to its sustainability.

The interior decoration was by ARRCC, the interiors division of SAOTA.

Lake Huron House / SAOTA - Exterior Photography, Facade
© Adam Letch

Project gallery

See allShow less
About this office
Cite: "Lake Huron House / SAOTA" 27 May 2020. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/940401/lake-huron-house-saota> ISSN 0719-8884

You've started following your first account!

Did you know?

You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.