MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects
Brian MacKay-Lyons, FRAIC
Occupancy: 2011
Two volumes cantilever above the shoreline like two ship's hulls resting on cradles for the winter, forming protected outdoor spaces both between and underneath them. Like a pair of binoculars, Two Hulls House acts as a landscape-viewing instrument, effortlessly framing the environment. It is a permanent home for a family of four, consisting of a day pavilion and a night pavilion. One approaches the understated, abstract public façade, then proceeds through the foyer, turning right to the sleeping pavilion or left into the living pavilion. Inside the great room is a floating hearth 7.3-metres-long, the focal point of this space.
Photo: James Brittain
Photo: James Brittain
Photo: James Brittain
Photo: Greg Richardson
Photo: James Brittain
"Drawing vernacular references into a form evocative of two bridges cantilevered over the water, the Two Hull House generates a dramatic presence on the landscape. In abstracting the forms of the ships that once helped build up the region, the architect has infused the house with an intriguing ghost-like quality and a strong sense of place. Inside, the architecture and ocean are in dialogue, with a fenestration pattern that offers a variety of views that are distinctively different from the generic linear ocean views of most waterfront houses. The hooded decks give a sense of comfort and shelter in a harsh climate, even as they literally bring the inhabitants closer to the ocean."