The clients for this project live abroad, and sought a Canadian homestead — an anchor — for their large, young family. During summer and winter holidays, the parents wanted their children immersed in an Ontario landscape like the one in which they were raised.
Two adjacent contemporary houses in a Victorian Toronto neighbourhood, designed by the same architect and for the same client, subtly respond to the local vernacular and to each other, while expressing their own unique characters.
The Whalon Bay Cottage is both thoughtful and purposeful in its design. It is a tribute to a long legacy of cottaging in Muskoka that is slowly but surely becoming a year-round destination, especially given recent world events.
The Waxwing Residence is a three-level home with six bedrooms and eight bathrooms, spread over 4200 square feet on a forested ravine lot. The idea of this house is fully expressed in the front elevation: two wings connected by a transparent, glass bridge inviting the surrounding trees of the ravine to play into the interior.
Nestled in a quiet neighborhood just outside the city centre, Botfield Residence connects inhabitants with the outdoors, and exudes style and comfort for modern living.
A longtime client of Altius Architecture, the owners of this residence started looking for a cottage home in 2007. After four years exploring Ontario cottage country, they purchased this property from a colleague but immediately began to doubt their decision. However, this doubt quickly melted away after they had spent their first summer there.
This one was water access only, and was installed from the lake side. There was an existing cottage on the site, and after consulting with the municipality and using some site sensitivity we decided to grandfather the location of the existing building. So after removing the old cottage, we replaced it with this new bunkie on the same site.
Situated on a west-facing 5.58 acre building site on the Rocky Narrows with over 250’ of frontage on Big Rideau Lake, this year-round vacation home was designed to be a modern, sustainable home that fits into the surrounding landscape.
