Smith Residence, a vacation home located on the atlantic coast
MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects
House
/
Completed
Smith Residence is a vacation home located on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, adjacent to the architect’s farm (Shobac). The home consists of three pavilions on a two-acre site spanning from a salt pond on the east to bold oceanfront on the west. This small peninsula historically supported an inshore fishing port. This is a proto-urban project, forming a village, together with other houses designed by the architect, on the old fishing village site. The reconstituted village is
dense, requiring a careful handling of views both from and to each building, in order to optimize community and privacy. Multiple courtyards are framed between the structures, creating micro-climates that both catch the sun and block the wind, following the seasons and daily rituals of dwelling. The village is created by the careful aggregation of simple gable-roofed forms,
producing an effect which is greater than the sum of its parts. While these traditional forms echo local vernacular buildings, they are made absolutely modern through their cladding, fenestration and minimalist detailing. The house is perched on a stone acropolis, like a ruin,
protected by Corten steel plate roofs. The stone plinth is constructed of local granite, brought to the place by retreating glaciers during the last ice age, over 15,000 years ago. Deeply local, it is also the foundation material traditionally hand split for the construction of all of the nearby historic ruins. The landscape procession toward the project begins on gaining a hilltop overlook of the village on arrival. Then, the procession is pinched by a pair of reconstructed historic buildings. Then, the road is framed by agricultural fences. Then, one passes by a granite retaining wall below the project. Then, one swings around the gate house shed. Then, between the shed and pavilions, a view is framed back toward the Shobac Campus. Then, one winds up a monumental granite stair, squeezing between the day and night pavilions. Then, one arrives on the granite plinth, framing a view to a distant lighthouse. Finally, the visitor enters the compressed foyer of the day pavilion. At a time when so much of our world is in flux, this is a project that is about timeless archetypes, rather than novelty or fashion. It is less about itself than it is about the landscape cultivated around it. Smith House is more about resolution than novelty;
more about being ‘good’ than being ‘new’. It is a mature expression of a body-of-work, or architectural language, developed over forty years. This project really began in 1994, when the architect and a group of his students constructed the first Ghost project, as a translucent tent over a 400 year old granite ruin adjacent to the new Smith House. In 2016 the architect made an idealized ‘restoration’ of that ruin, as a sunken sky space for dining. The Smiths’ initial request was
for a house design that referred to that local, historic ruin.
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"The Ruin" is protected by steel plate roofs
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Eastern morning terrace
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Perched like a bird on a wire
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Dwelling on a plinth
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The temple-like place emphasises the absolute datum of the ocean horizon
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The polished concrete floor is contrasted by the white ash plywood ceiling
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The 16' granite fireplace. The five-tonne live-edge mantle stone carries the marks of its making
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Secret white ash trap door and staircase
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Granite wine cellar
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The rustic shed with plinth/hearth functions as a retreat for the client's children
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The night pavilion reflected in the infinity hot tub
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“A responsible work of architecture always elevates the entire scene.” - Juhani Pallasmaa
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First sketch with client
Brian MacKay-Lyons
Dwelling in landscape
Brian MacKay-Lyons
Plan sketch
Brian MacKay-Lyons
Plan
MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects
East road-side elevation
MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects
West elevation
MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects
North elevation
MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects
Cross section, cellar
MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects
The hearth anchors the day pavilion
MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects
TOTEMIC KITCHEN CORE AND HEARTH PUNCTUATE THE DAY PAVILION
Kingsburg
Canada
Withheld
02/2019
258 sq. m
MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects
Design Lead: Brian MacKay-Lyons; Project Architect: Shane Andrews; Furnishings: Sawa Rostkowska; Project Team: Ashley Hannon; Matthew Bishop; Joseph Burkett; Tyler Reynolds
Phil Creaser
Blackwell Structural Engineers
Lange's Rock Farm; Acapulco Pools; Charles Lantz Cabinetry
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Curriculum
MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and Boulder, USA. The practice works locally and internationally on cultural, academic and residential projects, providing architectural, interior design and urban design services. There are four Principals: Brian MacKay-Lyons, Talbot Sweetapple, Melanie Hayne and Shane Andrews. In over 30 years of work, the practice has built an international reputation for design excellence confirmed by 140+ awards, including the prestigious 2017 Global Award for Sustainable Architecture. The firm's work has been featured internationally in over 600 publications and 100 exhibitions.