Ontario house by Brian O'Brian takes cues from farm buildings

Canadian architect Brian O’Brian has completed a rural weekend house in Ontario that features a slanted, corrugated-metal facade and an angled roof covered with greenery.

The Hemlock House sits on a 72-acre (29-hectare) property in the southern town of Markdale.

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The project grew in scope over time. Originally, the plan was to renovate an old farmhouse, but the client ultimately decided to create an entirely new house.

“What started as a modest renovation evolved into a full replacement of the small, 1930s farmhouse,” said Brian O’Brian, a Toronto-based architect.

The commission came about after the client saw another project by O’Brian in the area – a 19th-century schoolhouse with stone walls that had been converted into a cottage.

For the Hemlock House, O’Brian took cues from the region’s agrarian buildings to conceive the design.

Set on a flat site surrounded by woods and farmland, the house is composed of a long bar and adjoining box, and totals 3,250 square feet (302 square metres).

A long entry driveway “traces the lineage of the site”, passing by an old farmhouse and century-old barn.

The new house draws upon these earlier buildings and “extends the language of agricultural buildings into a contemporary domestic form”, the architect said.

The home’s bar-shaped volume is topped with a sloped, metal-clad roof, while the attached box has an angular green roof.

The north side of the house is lined with a slanted wall made of corrugated metal.

Cut into the wall are three windows, which can be covered by external, perforated steel panels that slide up and down. This elevation also features a boxy protrusion with wood cladding.

“This is meant to feel like an agrarian building at first view, but one that begins softening and opening on approach,” said the architect.

The southern elevation – which overlooks patios and a swimming pool – features hemlock siding and ample glazing. Various roof overhangs help shield the building from sun and snow.

The house also has a carport, which is sheltered by a canopy made of wood and metal.

Within the home, there is a division between public and private spaces.

The linear volume, which spans two levels, contains a principal suite, a secondary suite, and two bedrooms with a shared bathroom. The adjoining box holds a kitchen, dining area and living room.

Rooms feature neutral colours and a mix of earthy and industrial materials.

“Concrete and hemlock define every surface, carrying a steady material logic through the house,” the architect said.

Other projects in Ontario include a 1970s chalet that was renovated and expanded by UUfie to conform to its steep site, and a black cabin by Barbora Vokac Taylor that includes wedge-shaped clerestory windows.