HEATING , VENTILATION & INSULATION
FOREST RETREAT
Large Family Cottage
Kariouk Architects presents its new project , Forest Retreat , a family retreat located in the heart of the Ontarian forest , designed to meet programmatic requirements while connecting to its environment .
This home ’ s clients live abroad but sought a homestead for their large family and guests . During summer and winter holidays , the parents wanted their children immersed in an Ontario landscape like the one in which they were raised . They asked for a generous home to allow young teenagers , extended family ( and large dogs ) to be comfortable in a remote area for long stays , and that would encourage activities like hiking and snowshoeing .
Historically , the Canadian identity has been defined by our relationship to the land . Fulfilling the client ’ s mandate , the home honours that emotional connection through visual and material harmonization with its surroundings , but moreover , through responsible material sourcing and site adaptation , as well as energy-saving systems .
A key contribution of the project to the area is that it preserves almost the entirety of the landscape that it occupies : an existing rocky area overlooking a wildflower meadow , which avoided cutting trees . Almost all of the natural habitat of the 100-acre property was preserved , including its wetlands .
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