Ottawa, Canada
Canadian architectural firm Kariouk Architects has created a modern cabin with rustic elements within the Ontario forests that will serve as a forest retreat and a relaxing holiday residence for a large family that aims to stay strongly connected with nature.
The family sought a generous home to allow young teenagers and extended family to be comfortable in a remote area for long stays.
They sought a casual, comfortable space for the family and their dogs that would encourage activities like hiking and snowshoeing — no fancy entertaining.
The most powerful aspect of the design is the long, tent-like roof, which follows the site’s topography. The roof and its ridge beam became the design’s primary focus, shaping the circulation path through the home’s interior, ultimately extending a view toward the forest.
A primary technical challenge was the roof’s structure, which despite its 60-meter length needed to seem light. The folds and angles of the steel roof are supported by the meandering ridge beam.
The roof cantilevers and tapers at all edges. At the entry side of the house, the roof lifts like a bird’s wing off the garage volume beneath, sheltering an outdoor terrace.
Several monolithic slate-clad volumes anchor the home and define the space between the curtains of glass.
These opaque volumes echo the property’s rock outcrops. The garage, bathrooms, stairs, and pantry are grouped inside, and appear to hold up the dynamic roof.
Steel construction was chosen to avoid using the expected material of heavy timber for this forest getaway.
The main floor is lifted above the ground and overlooks the treetops filling the lower recreation area with light.
In an attempt to give a contemporary approach to warmth and closeness, only bedrooms and bathrooms are closed off and the public areas of the house are open.
The family areas and parents’ areas are on the main level.
The kids’ bedrooms are bundled into a single slate-clad volume, suspended like a cocoon above the main floor from a 40’ steel beam and accessed by a catwalk.
To avoid cutting trees, the home was placed on an existing cleared ridge overlooking a wildflower meadow.
The home is heated and cooled via a geothermal unit with summer solar gain reduced by significant roof overhangs.
The glass walls are triple-pane, and high-efficiency fixtures and equipment for the well and septic system help reduce the home’s environmental impact.
To avoid cutting trees, the home was placed on an existing cleared ridge overlooking a wildflower meadow.
The home is heated and cooled via a geothermal unit with summer solar gain reduced by significant roof overhangs.
The glass walls are triple-pane, and high-efficiency fixtures and equipment for the well and septic system help reduce the home’s environmental impact.
Project: Forest Retreat
Architects: Kariouk Architects
Design Team: Paul Kariouk, Chris Davis, Adam Paquette, and Joel Tremblay General Contractor: Michael J Dunn Construction
Structural Engineer: Blackwell Structural Engineers
Interior Decorator: House of Bohn
Client: Private
Photographers: Scott Norsworthy
