Located in the northern Canadian landscape, Whistling Wind Island emerges from the vast open water off the east coast of Georgian Bay in Pointe Au Baril, Ontario. Inspired by the beauty of the archipelago, a collection of smaller buildings sit upon a one acre island of exposed Precambrian bedrock. The silhouette of the seemingly wind-swept asymmetrical rooflines, set against the endless expanse of sky, reflects the context of the surrounding chain of islands, which crop up through the continuous water surface, creating intermittent moments of pause along the horizon.
Designed for a client who enjoys dancing on the wind as he kite-surfs, it is the strong weather and sometimes harsh landscape, which defines the visual language from which a community of modest cabins emerge. The main Cottage and Bunkie are built largely upon the footprint of the original buildings, with the addition of a freestanding Sauna and a Boat Storage/Fitness building. The almost 1,500 square foot Cottage consists of two bedrooms, a shared washroom and open concept kitchen, living, dining area with a Laundry/Mud Room. The 900 square foot Bunkie, a short walk away, over the lichen covered rocks, provides refuge from the main Cottage and view out from the other side of the island.
The exterior roof and walls have a continuous relationship, clad in rustic western red cedar shakes, typical of the local vernacular, yet applied to a new building form to accentuate the profile of each cabin. The irregular-shaped cedar decks follow the natural rock terrain, scraped away and exposed by glacial shifts over two million years ago. Viewed from the water, as the materials start to age and patina, the buildings begin to blend and dissolve into the landscape.
