Canadian practice MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects has designed a house perched on a granite hilltop overlooking the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, at the edge of a forested hillside. Its skin of rusty corrugated steel is meant to change over time along with the landscape around it.
Weathered steel over a metal frame
Corrugated steel, already weathered, wraps the structural metal frame of the house. Its tone shifts with the seasons and the surrounding nature. Black window and door frames throughout the building set up a sharp contrast with the rusted siding.
Raised on stilts
The house stands on galvanised steel stilts, so it seems to float above the bedrock. Lifting it also leaves room for lichens and red conifers to keep growing underneath and around the building.
Open living spaces and skylights
The main social spaces are open plan, with the living room at one end and the dining area and kitchen at the other. Custom cabinetry combines wood and steel against white walls and a concrete floor. Skylights are placed throughout the interior to bring in daylight.
Bedrooms in the trees
In one bedroom, black-framed windows wrap around the corner to give an uninterrupted view of the trees. Another room has a built-in desk and a ladder up to a loft.
Project credits
- Project: house on a granite hilltop, Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada
- Architecture: MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects
- Design lead: Brian MacKay-Lyons
- Project architect: Alastair Bird
- Project team: Shane Andrews, Diana Carl
- Structural engineer: David Bowick, Blackwell Engineering
- Construction: Gordon MacLean
- Photography: James Brittain
- Source: Contemporist