RHAD Architects' minimalist lakeside home showcases 'architecture of subtraction'
Mass-timber Nova Scotia residence uses carved voids to blend shelter with landscape
1Spatial subtraction concept
RHAD Architects designed Two Bay House by strategically carving voids into two initial blocky masses, creating courtyards and double-height spaces. These negative spaces serve as transitional zones between interior shelter and exterior landscape. The studio describes this approach as architecture emerging through deliberate subtraction rather than addition, making the voids as significant as the physical structures themselves.
2Material contrast strategy
The exterior features vertical wooden siding treated with shou sugi ban (yakisugi), an ancient Japanese charring technique that gives the building its monolithic black appearance. In carved-out areas, this solid charred wood transitions to slatted wood and vertical-grain hemlock siding. This material contrast visually highlights where the architecture opens to light and landscape.
3Mass-timber construction
The two-level structure combines glue-laminated timber for primary roof support with standard lumber decking. Walls use insulated concrete forms (ICFs) for thermal efficiency. The parallel 'bay' volumes differ in length to create a protected west-facing courtyard that blocks waterfront winds while capturing afternoon sunlight.
4Programmatic organization
The longer volume contains public spaces (kitchen, dining, living room) on the ground floor with a music room and salon above. The shorter volume houses private bedrooms. A central void carved from the upper floor connects levels visually, with a glass-walled bridge allowing light and activity to flow between spaces.
5Light modulation techniques
The east entry court features tall slatted walls that filter sunlight, creating dynamic patterns throughout the day. At night, internal lighting makes the enclosure glow. Water-facing sides use ample glazing and covered terraces to extend interior spaces outward while maintaining enclosure.
6Sensory spatial experience
The design creates alternating moments of compression and release, darkness and light, intimacy and openness. The vertical central space serves as a constant reference point within the home. Outdoor areas include a west-side swimming pool with generous terrace, continuing the theme of spatial subtraction.
7Regional context
The project joins other notable Nova Scotia residences like Omar Gandhi Architects' cedar-wrapped coastal house and MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple's gabled steel 'village'. RHAD's approach distinguishes itself through its disciplined material palette and philosophy of architectural subtraction.
8Design philosophy impact
Two Bay House demonstrates how careful spatial subtraction can generate architectural richness without formal complexity. The home's character equally derives from removed spaces and remaining structures, proving that voids can be as experientially significant as built forms in connecting inhabitants to landscape.