Woodhouse

Woodhouse, Singhampton, Ont.

superkül, Toronto Photography: Alex Fradkin / Kayla Rocca

Comprised of an existing 19th-century log cabin connected to a dark, linear horizontal modern addition by a glazed link, the two building forms are unified into a cohesive whole through the material expression of exterior cladding materials: riffing on the roughhewn logs of the old cabin, charred wood siding is a modern interpretation that ensures visual and textural continuity. Within the modern addition, an exterior breezeway divides public and private functions. Sealed concrete comprises the flooring throughout most of the house, while interior walls and sculpturally articulated ceilings are sheathed in whitewashed birch plywood, reflecting the texture of the raw wood interior of the log cabin. Custom-fabricated powder-coated steel accents and RAB light fixtures were specified in black, and tilt-and-turn windows with a black aluminum exterior finish create a seamlessly defined exterior envelope. Operable skylights and glazed walls that can be slid open reflect the goal of creating a seamless flow between interior and exterior spaces.