How much house is enough in terms of size and craft? This 700 ft² dwelling is the most recent in a series of affordable houses, exploring the idea of ‘economy as ethic’.
It is a flexible prototype which is intended to be replicated and customized to specific sites. Its inherent ‘DNA’ allows it to easily grow. It is proto-urban, as it implies aggregation. Its material expression can be adapted. It is rational in its structure and modular in its components.
Its first iteration on the Shobac Campus acts as a gatehouse. Through its traditional gabled roof it communicates with the adjacent reconstructed 1830 Chebogue Schoolhouse. It actively engages with all of the other adjacent structures by framing courtyards. It seems to own the pastoral valley to the north and east through a generous corner window. At grade the blank plinth/hearth/stair wall protects the interior from the road, while a 12’ south-facing window above offers solar gain and a dramatic view toward the sea. The supporting concrete fins extend into the landscape, stitching the cabin into its immediate context.
Enough House is more a verb than a noun. It is an active agent which engages with its situation. This modernist, kinetic quality is due to its consistent use of the dynamic pinwheeling composition, in terms of site plan, plan, section and elevation.
Photography: James Brittain
Awards:
2016 Architect Magazine, Residential Architect Design Awards, Citation
2016 Interior Design Best of Year Award, Honoree, Budget Category
2016 Azure Magazine, AZ Award Finalist
2016 Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor’s Citation