Pointe Au Baril, located three hours north of Toronto, is a town known for its archipelagos scattered across Georgian Bay. Narrow waterways run through and over the islands in a scenic and somewhat dramatic view.
Although difficult to reach, one of the inhabited islands furthest from the mainland is Whistling Wind, and the name says everything about the weather conditions there. Surrounded by open water and expansive skies, this island is continually exposed to volatile weather conditions, where “the morning sun can turn into unexpected hailstorms by the afternoon.”
The architectural firm AKB Architects took on the challenges of the location, signing the project for a country house located on the highest point of the island and consisting of a group of buildings divided into four structures. From the outside — depending on the time of day — the cedar-shingled roofs seem to merge with the surrounding rocks. From the inside, the unobstructed views of the surroundings take us in all directions via decks that spread across the grounds asymmetrically and connect the main house and the bunker — a smaller version of the house, designed to accommodate up to four people with two bedrooms and a bathroom — by means of steps that become an integral part of the landscape.