Lake House / Michael Taylor Architecture + Design

Architects: Michael Taylor Architecture + Design
Area: 3,400 ft²
Year: 2010
Photography: Ben Rahn / A-Frame Inc.
Contractor: Wilson Project Management
Location: Southern Ontario
Country: Canada

Lake House is a 3,400-square-foot residence in Southern Ontario designed to balance privacy on arrival with expansive views toward a private lake. The ground floor is sheltered beneath a single “floating” roof, while a rectangular core containing the primary bedroom, kitchen, and service spaces rises through the roof to form a second story with two additional bedrooms. The changing colors of the sky informed the treatment of this upper volume, which is clad in shades of blue glass selected from photographs taken at the site. Natural light is integrated into the architecture through three elliptical skylights that register the movement of the sun in different ways, complemented by a continuous linear skylight wrapping around two sides of the central core. Along the approach, staggered planes of Ontario limestone provide privacy from the road and visually connect with the low stone walls defining the forecourt. Facing the lake, floor-to-ceiling structural glazing curves outward at the corners, creating dining and seating areas that extend the interior toward the landscape.

For me, a building needs to have a dialogue with its surroundings and aspire to be a good neighbour.
Interview with Michael Taylor of Michael Taylor Architecture + Design

Lake house / michael taylor architecture + design

Lake House establishes its relationship with the site through two contrasting conditions: a protected approach from the road and an increasingly open connection to the lake. On arrival, staggered Ontario limestone planes screen the residence from approaching visitors. Combined with the low stone walls surrounding the forecourt, these elements initially appear as garden walls, reducing the visual presence of the house and preserving privacy.

Lake House is organized beneath a broad “floating” roof that contains the ground-floor spaces within a predominantly horizontal composition. A rectangular core interrupts this plane and extends upward to create the second story. The core accommodates the primary bedroom, kitchen, and service functions below, with two additional bedrooms positioned above.

The upper volume introduces color into the otherwise restrained material palette. Its blue glass cladding was developed from photographs of the sky taken at the property, translating the changing atmospheric colors of the site into the exterior treatment of the house. Natural light is equally important to the design. Three elliptical skylights pierce the roof, each creating a different relationship with sunlight as it moves throughout the day. A continuous linear skylight also wraps around two sides of the central core, bringing additional daylight into the interior.

Toward the lake, the architecture becomes more transparent. Floor-to-ceiling structural glazing departs from the rectilinear geometry of the limestone walls and curves outward at the corners. These curved sections accommodate dining and seating areas while directing views across the water. Through the contrast between solid stone, transparent glazing, and the blue-glass upper level, the residence carefully mediates privacy, daylight, and its connection to the surrounding landscape.