The Enough House is a 700-square-foot timber-framed dwelling designed by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects as a prototype for minimalist living with a "rural industrial" aesthetic. Completed in 2015, the project is located in Upper Kingsburg, Nova Scotia, on architect Brian MacKay-Lyons's Shobac farm, a "Ghost Architectural Laboratory" and campus that serves as a research ground for the firm. The small, gabled volume functions as a gatehouse on the property, creating a dialogue with adjacent historic structures.

Clad in Cor-Ten steel, its rusty orange exterior intentionally contrasts with the surrounding landscape of rolling pastures and the silver-grey finishes of other campus buildings. The design is practical for the region's climate, with a lack of eaves to prevent ice dam formation in an area known for a high number of freeze/thaw cycles.

Raised off the ground by three reinforced concrete fin walls, the structure is designed to "touch the land lightly," a principle inspired by Australian architect Glenn Murcutt. These fin walls also extend to shape an entry dooryard and a fire court, integrating the house with its immediate surroundings. Inside, the home explores the beauty of raw materials and simple construction. Exposed wood framing and Douglas fir plywood sheathing create a warm, rustic interior, with Cor-Ten steel details echoing the exterior. A central plywood-sheathed core contains the more "finished" service areas, like the kitchen and bathroom. Expansive windows, including a large corner window, frame views of the pastoral valley and the Atlantic coast, connecting the minimalist interior with the dramatic landscape.

Credits

Architects: MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects

Engineering: Renee MacKay-Lyons (Wood Platform Frame); Blackwell Structural Engineers (Foundation)

Photography: William Green, James Brittain