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bunkie, a sauna, and a boat storage containing a small fitness room
are located on different outcroppings and reachable via wooden
plank gangways that link to boat landings and fill gaps between rocks.

Unlike many summer homes sited in favour of one vista, the cottage
and bunkie are surrounded on most sides by wrap-around decks
for taking in panoramic views in every direction. Their asymmetric
shapes fan out over the terrain with steps angled in harmony with the
natural topology of the sedimentary rock. There is very little sense of
front and back entry points. Triple-pane operable glass walls dissolve
a traditional orientation by providing multiple ways to move with
ease between indoors and out. Retracting walls also provide natural
thermal control with cross breezes cooling the interior. Deeply
recessed windows punctuate the façade, with overhangs that are
carved into the mass of the building which provide shade from the
high summer sun and help to reduce solar heat gain.

Natural materiality
The main room of the cottage is comprised of an open kitchen,
a generous dining area and a living room featuring a full-height
fireplace wall made of local Muskoka granite slabs. Custom-made
cedar whitewashed boards on the walls run horizontally to echo the
continual presence of the location's dominant water and sky horizon
line. Matching wood planks line the cathedral ceiling, providing
a contemporary interpretation of a gabled wood form found in
traditional cottages.

The same material application is used in the bunkie, giving both
interiors the warmth of being fully enveloped by natural wood Main cottage interior
walls, ceilings and floors. Likewise, the exterior of each building is
continuously clad on the roof and walls with Western Red Cedar
shakes, creating a stereotomic reading of each form from which the Main cottage
windows and interior volumes appear to have been carved out of an
otherwise solid mass. The visual solidity of these buildings fosters
comfort in knowing these dwellings can withstand the extreme
weather patterns of nature, while the modest scale and tactile warmth
of the interiors provide a cosy refuge that is experienced most
intensely when the sun sets. Given the large windows, the building
interiors are ideal for watching the dramatic summer storms that are
characteristic of Pointe Au Baril.

At 1,800 square feet, the main cottage houses two bedrooms, a shared
ensuite bathroom, and a laundry room in addition to the communal
kitchen, dining and living areas. The bunkie is a smaller version
of the cottage, designed to sleep up to four in two bedrooms with
a shared bathroom. A large flagstone fireplace at its core separates
the bedrooms from a kitchenette with desk and lounge area with a
pair of loveseats. While woodburning fireplaces in both indulge
the sensation of elemental living, they are also the sole heat source,
eliminating the need for mechanical backup systems.

In sync with Nature
Whistling Wind Island rigorously addresses the challenges of
building sustainably. The two primary residents are built upon the
original footprints of preexisting structures. Triple-pane operable
glass walls provide natural thermal control while deeply recessed
windows punctuate the façade. Overhangs carved into the mass
of the building provide shade and reduce solar heat gain, while
woodburning fireplaces in both buildings eliminate the need for
mechanical backup systems.

84 Issue 282 • dw