The Martin-Lancaster House by Canadian practice MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects is a 3000 square foot courtyard home located on the rugged Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia. The design of the house is inspired by local material culture traditions and is intended to be an abstract and highly restrained project. The exterior of the house is made up of monolithic, zero-detailed cedar shingles that can withstand the frequent wet and dry, freeze and thaw cycles of the marine climate. The house consists of four main components: a garage and guest house with a gabled roof, a social pavilion with a gabled roof, a north-facing service bar, and an arrival court between them.
As you enter the house, you follow a procession towards the sea, passing through the protective garage and down into the courtyard. From there, you can walk along a bench and into the foyer before entering the double-height living pavilion and continuing onto a terrace with views of the sea. The social pavilion, which faces south, is anchored by a large concrete hearth. The interior of the house is designed with passive solar strategies in mind, using an in-floor hydronic radiation system to keep the space comfortable and energy efficient. The living pavilion features a heavy timber structure, which signifies its social function. The use of clean curtain wall glazing throughout the house allows the landscape to flow through the interior spaces.
Image Courtesy: MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects
