On the rocks: Omar Gandhi designs a new house for the Canadian countryside

In Nova Scotia, bold architecture tends to cluster along the water. The Atlantic Ocean, which long provided sustenance for this region of Canada, now offers a wealth of views. A new project by the Halifax architect Omar Gandhi, dubbed Float House, takes another point of view, finding the sublime in a rough corner of the landscape and reflecting it back in a set of stunning sculptural forms.
The 232 sq m building is located 'off the beaten path,' Gandhi says - half a kilometre inland, in a jagged zone of glacial hills and valleys. Gandhi helped the client Dr. Melanie Kelly select the site, a hilltop clearing which is bracketed by a brawny outcrop of rock. That natural form 'is the most miraculous thing,' Gandhi recalls. 'It seemed the perfect anchor for a house.'
Where local architects often draw on the vernacular tradition of maritime wooden sheds, Gandhi’s office has twisted this into an unfamiliar shape: the house is a string of four wood-clad forms, but they have been rotated and eroded at the top edges to form jagged, boulder-like volumes. (The word 'float' is a geological term for loose pieces of rock.) At one end are Dr. Kelly’s living, dining and bedroom areas; in the middle, two guest bedrooms which houses visits from her grown children; and at the other end, a garage wrapped in a screen of pale spruce siding. This wood, black aluminum windows and a grey metal roof complete the material palette, which blends closely with the topography.
And yet the house - built inexpensively by local contractors - is rich with different spatial experiences. The dining area comes within a few metres of a sheer rock face, which is revealed through large windows. Steps away, the living room looks out over a series of lakes - and the ocean, seen from an angle off in the distance.
A play on the vernacular tradition of maritime sheds, four timber clad elements are rotated and manipulated to form jagged boulder-like volumes
The muted tones of the interior play audience to an outlook of glacial formations
The striking garage interior is wrapped in a screen of pale spruce cladding
Metres from a sheer rock face, the glazed walls of the dining room give the impression of being immersed in the landscape
Dubbed Float House due to the geographical term ’float’ meaning loose pieces of rock, the sculptural volumes were conceived as a reflection of the sublime natural surroundings
Sensitive to the topography, the volumes are clad in pale spruce with black aluminium glazing and grey metal roofing
High-level clerestory glazing encourages daylight into the bright and spacious interior, with sloping ceilings framing the view
On plan, a volume containing two guest bedrooms is flanked by the house’s living, dining and bedroom areas, and the pale spruce-clad garage
Inside out – views of rocks, lakes and the ocean are captured in picture perfect frames
The living room opens to panoramic views over a series of lakes with the ocean visible in the distance
INFORMATION
Photography: Doublespace
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
The Sinclair name is back, attached to a pocket-sized games console with an educational edge
Grant Sinclair’s name is freighted with early computing history. Wallpaper* tapped up the British inventor to find out more about his new GamerCard console and other innovation
-
Beloved sushi restaurant Sōgo Roll Bar comes to Highland Park
The sushi hangout begins a new chapter in its second location, becoming the perfect spot for a quick grab-and-go or a relaxed tasting experience in east LA
-
Japanese designer Shinichiro Ogata's latest venture is a modern riff on the traditions of his home country
As he launches Saboe, a series of new tearooms and shops across Japan, we delve into Shinichiro Ogata's creative vision, mirrored throughout the spaces and objects, rituals and moments of his projects
-
In Canada, The Nest is a three-dimensional puzzle redefining remote living
On a wooded site on the country’s West Coast, this prefabricated retreat designed by Daria Sheina Studio is a nurturing space for low-impact living
-
Discover Canadian modernist Daniel Evan White’s pitch-perfect homes
Canadian architect Daniel Evan White (1933-2012) had a gift for using the landscape to create extraordinary homes; revisit his story in an article from the Wallpaper* archives (first published in 2011)
-
A new Québec house blends open-plan living with far-reaching views
The Mountainside Residence is anchored into its sloping site by a concrete plinth, above which sits a main living space with tall ceilings and walls of glass
-
Four super-refined Nova Scotia ‘bunkies’ are unforgettable architectural retreats
MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple has completed a collection of elevated guest cabins – named Ridge On The Chimney – on the rugged Nova Scotian coast, all bookable for a stay
-
Smoke Lake Cabin is an off-grid hideaway only accessible by boat
This Canadian cabin is a modular and de-mountable residence, designed by Anya Moryoussef Architect (AMA) and nestled within Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario
-
Ten contemporary homes that are pushing the boundaries of architecture
A new book detailing 59 visually intriguing and technologically impressive contemporary houses shines a light on how architecture is evolving
-
Explore the Perry Estate, a lesser-known Arthur Erickson project in Canada
The Perry estate – a residence and studio built for sculptor Frank Perry and often visited by his friend Bill Reid – is now on the market in North Vancouver
-
A new lakeshore cottage in Ontario is a spectacular retreat set beneath angled zinc roofs
Family Cottage by Vokac Taylor mixes spatial gymnastics with respect for its rocky, forested waterside site