Architects: Rodrigo Simão Arquitetura
Area: 1700 ft²
Year: 2015
Photographs: André Nazareth, Antonio Garcia​

 A house conceived as a contemplation platform, wide open to the views and to maximize sunlight, so vital in a mountain climate.

The whole house develops in one level, suspended from the ground, protected by a generous overhanging roof, accessed through a stone floor forecourt, avoiding rain water, so intense in the region, keeping the house free from moisture.

The steel structure made possible spans such as 8,40m, allowing wide opening windows (up to 60% of the span), creating open spaces in dialogue with the garden and the beautiful landscape of the region.

In the same way, living room and kitchen are integrated with the wood oven contributing to the thermal functionality of the house and the big refectory table extending the pleasure of cooking and being at the table to the rest of the house.

The flooring in most of the house is polished concrete, from the slab itself. Polished in the act of concreting - usually used in industries and gas stations because of its high impact and abrasion  resistance, has smooth and hygienic finish.
This option results in a huge economy of construction phases and materials, besides being an extremely perennial low cost solution.
Built through a CEF (Caixa Econômica Federal) financing program, by a couple who personally managed the construction process, hiring an architect, an engineer and a construction firm.

The couple was very successful in coordinating building and payment cronogram in a very complex process of building phases, receiving regular inspections and receiving the financing parcels.

This ambitious and crafted home responds to its traditional context by prioritising rigorous geometric composition, dynamic use of space and light, and a strong engagement with the streetscape. The optimistic intent is to advance the traditional semi-detached housing type to better reflect the contemporary social and cultural context of Bondi.

CORE PRINCIPLES The unadvanced, ornate and traditional context inspired an optimistic, ambitious and contemporary response. Paired with its ornate neighbour and set amongst the backdrop of vernacular semi-detached houses, the project relies on the simplicity, clarity and strength of the geometric refence to traditional gable-ended semi-detached houses.

The geometry of the new façade is a mirror of its neighbour, but is stripped of ornamentation. The unadorned frontage gives primacy to the purity and clarity of the three staggered gabled forms whilst still maintaining a formal connection with its neighbour. A strong connection to the outdoors, privacy from the street and the ability to adapt the building to various thermal conditions was achieved via the fully operable and dynamic front and rear facades. The previously dark core of this semi-detached home is now drenched in sunlight throughout the day and naturally ventilates the entire home, drawing air in from the front and rear and expelling it through the open skylights. The restrained material palette relies on variety in texture and patten and their interaction with light and space to provide a level of richness and vigour to the project. This restraint in turn accentuates project’s formal composition and improves the design intent’s legibility.

RELATIONSHIP OF FORM TO CONTEXT Given its exposed location, restrained material palette and gabled composition, the house stands as a new landmark in the back-streets of Bondi. The crisply detailed simple forms of the front façade offer an alternative to the traditional Bondi semi and along with it, a sense of advancement. The dialogue between the new and old is easily read with an unobstructed front boundary and a generous setback which openly engages the streetscape.

This openness is balanced by the privacy offered by the dynamic timber batten screening that slides across the facades providing access, sun protection or a veil from onlookers.

PROGRAM RESOLUTION Whilst the new building envelope addressed the presentation to the streetscape and interface with the broader context, the reconfiguration of the internal arrangement was successful in creating a more dynamic engagement with natural light, space and the landscape within the home. A large void was dropped into the middle of the home and topped with a series of strategically placed openable skylights between the rafters. This satisfied the brief requirements of separation between public and private spaces and the injection of natural light and air into the core of the home whilst maintaining privacy from the neighbours to the north.

Project DescriptionIn response to both site conditions and programmatic needs, this project was about designing a retreat that would accommodate the users’ needs and comfort throughout the seasons in contemporary context, while quietly inserting itself into Muskoka’s cultural and natural landscape. 

Since the early 1860s, we’ve seen a rich layering of recreational architecture that populates the region’s 16,000 lakes. It has long been a desirable summer destination for city-dwellers where cottages range from modest log cabins to ornate Victorian summer homes, capturing an important regional history that’s deeply embedded into its cultural fabric.

The past decade has witnessed the development of a new chapter in Muskoka’s architectural narrative – one marked by a dramatic shift in scale that threatens to erode its unique character. The once humble and unobtrusive structures tucked into the hilly shores of the region are now replaced with oversized recreational residences disruptive to the regional identity. This phenomenon is particularly prevalent on Lake Joseph, which has more recently attracted local and international celebrities.

With a respect for the local history and sensitivity towards the environment, the cottage’s massing is guided by a thorough understanding of the site conditions – including topography, solar orientation, vegetation, and existing views – as well as a consideration for the family’s programmatic needs. 

The resulting form is a series of low-slung volumes integrated onto the site; unified by a trio of formally expressive overlapping irregular hip roofs with generous overhangs towards the south and west façades. The three roof lines relate to the function of each pod where the shared living spaces are designated to the front bar looking onto the lake, the bedrooms are at mid-bar, and the last bar is an enclosed sunroom with Muskoka screen.

In an effort to leave the softest footprint possible on the landscape, the cottage is constructed with a number of passive features which facilitate user comfort while minimizing the need for mechanical systems - including strategically located openings to encourage natural ventilation and a naturally-preserved façade that requires little maintenance. Shou sugi ban was applied to the exterior wood panelling as an homage to the site’s history where the previous cabin had burnt down. White pine is used in contrast to brighten. 

A 10’ wide open square breezeway interrupts the building as an immediate visual thoroughfare from back to front - the architecture, in its charred appearance, frames the lake as if it were a picture. Principal Architect Vanessa Fong describes the feeling she wanted to evoke in this experience, “When you arrive at the cottage, you always arrive from the back - the cottage is in the way so you never get a sense of the water and the view. It was very important to have a sense of arrival and connection to the landscape, so you’re not just arriving at a building.” 
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VFA’s interpretation of the archetypical cottage experience at Lake Joseph expresses harmony with its environment; where architecture becomes part of the landscape and respects the time-honoured tradition of cottage retreating as well as the wilderness it’s surrounded by.