The Hill House, designed by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects, was designed both as a residence and a tool for a landscape photographer.

The design allows the photographer to crop views of the landscape at different angles through the changing days and seasons.

Like many homes found in Lunenburg County, this 3000 square foot property is perched atop a glacial hill on this southern shore of Nova Scotia.

The site of the structure was selected to both blend with the landscape while capturing 360 degree vistas of its panoramic location.

The composition of the buildings include the main house and a barn with guest rooms divided by a courtyard.

The entertainment zones face the courtyard while the domestic spaces were placed on the outer edges of the two buildings to maximize privacy.

MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects designed the Hill House with a clean, minimalist and sustainable approach, much like many of their projects.

Constructed of local materials, the light timber framing, hydraulic in-floor heating, and taut skinned building envelope respond to the severe climate of this region.

Amazingly, the construction of Hill House remained an extremely affordable at $200 per square foot.

This exceptional property garnered a number of awards, including the 2009 North American Wood Design Award, the 2005 Record Houses Award, and the 2004 Lieutenant Governor’s Medal of Excellence.

Exceptional!

canadianrealestatehousingandhome.ca is a huge fan of this firm.

Here’s a link to MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects.

All photographs courtesy of Steven Evans Photography

Researched and Written by Jay Namkung, Environmental Design student at OCAD University.