_{Photo credit Shai Gil}

On a small lake in the woods near Bracebridge, Ontario there sits a miniature modern masterpiece called ‘Stealth Cabin’.

Designed by the firm Superkül, these architects sought to minimize the environmental impacts of the project while marrying a modernist aesthetic amidst the traditional cabin vernacular more ubiquitous to the Canadian landscape.

Here, wood is the primary building material. Plentiful supply and the availability of low cost community carpentry led to the decision to source the wood locally.

This decision also informed the use of the simplistic lines that define the project.

_{Photo credit Shai Gil}

The horizontal lines of the cedar cladding, both slat and shingle, continue over the large windows in the form of louvers and wrap the small cabin highlighting the sculptural treatment of the gently sloping roof.

_{Photo credit Shai Gil}

The materials palette is elegant. The wood walls and ceiling inside bring back the nostalgic feel of a rustic cabin in the woods, while the clean, straight lines evoke a more sophisticated aesthetic.

This sophistication is reinforced in the subdued grey of the casework, doors and a limited amount of simple trim as well as built in furniture. It is then again mirrored in the polished concrete of the floor.

The bedrooms are equipped with bunk beds and built in shelving to keep sleeping compact, while the social areas are made integrated and lofty.

_{Photo credit Shai Gil}

Throughout the house, colour comes in through the large windows and is either harmonized or sharply contrasted by the bold red or green highlights of the chairs.

The house, which is just 1 500-square-feet, is divided. The north end of the house, with its guest rooms, office nook and storm porch that looks over the approaching drive, can be shut off from the house when in disuse as a way to save energy.

The high efficiency wood fireplace can be supplemented with radiant floor heating in the south end of the home, which contains the kitchen, living room and master bedroom.

_{Photo credit Shai Gil}

The architects considered the aging of the building and used the discoloration of the cedar exterior through oxidation and bleaching as a way to bring forward new tones and help blend the construction into the natural landscape.

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Check out the Superkül website for more amazingness!

Researched and Written by Robin R. V Whitteker, undergraduate student at OCAD University in the Environmental Design program.