Project: La Pointe House
Architecture: Solares Architecture
Location: La Pointe, Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada
Year: 2023
Photo Credits: Nanne Springer
Text by Solares Architecture
La Pointe is a lakeside vacation property in Prince Edward County with sweeping views over Lake Ontario. The long narrow property has lush fields, mature trees, and lake frontage.
The house is accompanied by a pool and cabana, a guest house, and vineyard. The house is custom made to take advantage of the views, to provide a retreat for the family and their extended family and friends, and to withstand harsh lakeside winters.
This project is extremely energy efficient and is run by all-electric systems supported by a solar powered battery backup. No fossil fuels are used for primary or backup power. Any excess power generated by the solar array is fed back to the grid, earning energy credits through Ontario’s Hydro One Net Metering program.
Modelling shows that with its premium insulation and airtight building envelope, this house could withstand six full days in -20°C weather without a single joule of energy coming from anywhere (not the back-up energy system, not the wood-burning stove, not even the sun) before the internal temperature would drop below freezing.
Design
La Pointe House takes advantage of passive solar design principles, with the main orientation facing south with a carefully calculated roof overhang. Two volumes are connected by a bridge that is almost entirely glass, providing clear views through, and can be access from both front and back.
The one-storey volume is home to a soaring great room, with an open-concept kitchen, dining area, and living room with wood burning stove. Sliding glass doors open onto a large screened-in porch for al fresco dining with a waterfront view. Because the winds off Lake Ontario can be strong, the screening is completely retractable.
The main floor of the two-storey volume has a TV room that doubles as a guest room, and a guest suite with two-bedrooms and one-bathroom. Upstairs are the children’s bedrooms and a shared bathroom, as well as the primary bedroom with ensuite.
The interiors have a Scandinavian modern aesthetic: cozy and light, with natural materials taking centre stage. Throughout the house, the light wood of the window and door frames and the honey-coloured wood flooring contrast with soft white walls.
To give richness of colour and texture, exterior siding is a combination of wood siding by Maibec and custom-bent metal is for window and door trim. The windows have been visually banded together into ribbons, with corners deeply inset to allow the banding to wrap the building. The thin roof slides past these volumes and the canopy at the entrance is cantilevered out, giving the sense of a floating mass. With thoughtful window placement, every room offers a different and delightful view out over the property, and across to the fields and lake beyond.
Construction
La Pointe House is an extremely well-insulated and well-sealed home. Modelling shows it could withstand six full days of -20°C weather without a single joule of energy coming from any source before the internal temperature would drop below freezing. This is achieved by insulating the interior and exterior of the building envelope, and ensuring high quality installation of Rockwool batts and meticulous application of Huber’s Zip Wall system. Lastly, AeroBarrier was employed to seal all the otherwise inaccessible small leakage points.
This home is constructed with engineered wood products, with no use of large steel structural members. A five-foot crawlspace is provided to both hide ductwork and wiring, and to help raise the ground floor level in case of flooding. An 18-inch apron of soil slopes down away from the house on all sides, providing the illusion that the house is sitting at grade when it is in fact higher.
The buildings on this property are run with all-electric systems, including a Daikin air-source heat pump, Venmar ERV, and a Sanden air-source heat pump hot water system. The property has a battery backup system fed by an array of rooftop solar panels. Any excess power is fed back to the grid for credits through Ontario’s Hydro One Net Metering program.
