Long Lake Cabin: Redefining the Relationship Between Architecture and the Natural Environment
Off-Grid Cottage: A Living Experience Immersed in Nature
According to the architects, this off-grid cottage located on a forested peninsula merges natural materials with elevated living spaces nestled among the trees.
Location and Surroundings
The secluded retreat sits on a peninsula overlooking a pristine, motor-free lake in the wilderness of Ontario. The site offers an opportunity to escape city noise and fully immerse oneself in natural tranquility.
Project Concept
The cottage was designed for a couple from the city with a deep passion for nature. They spent an entire year camping on the land every weekend before making a final decision on the location and the type of construction.
Design Objectives
The project aims to create a place directly connected to nature, providing elevated spaces among the trees. The cottage is also designed to comfortably accommodate multigenerational living, serving as a warm, welcoming retreat throughout the year for gatherings with family and friends.
Architectural Design and Site Utilization
Dubbeldam Architecture + Design designed this two-level cottage to maximize views of the surrounding water and forest while maintaining the lowest possible impact on the natural environment.
Lower Level: Harmonizing With Nature
The lower portion of the cottage is tucked beneath an outcrop of exposed rock, rendering it hidden from view upon approach. This design minimizes disruption to the landscape and preserves the privacy of the site.
Upper Level: Vision and Experience
The upper floor is accessed via a bridge, an essential architectural feature accommodating a family member who uses a wheelchair. The main living spaces were placed on this level to fulfill the clients’ vision of a living room that “hovers above the forest floor,” creating a sense of immersion in the surrounding nature.
Indoor–Outdoor Interaction
Large panoramic windows and sliding doors around the building open onto an expansive upper deck facing west and south. This design blurs the boundaries between indoors and outdoors, enhancing the nature-focused experience for both owners and guests.
Upper Floor Core: Living and Dining Space
At the heart of the upper floor lies an open living and dining area, where views of the lake are framed through the surrounding trees, reinforcing a sense of direct connection to nature.
Interior Design and Social Gathering
A cast-in-place concrete fireplace serves as the visual anchor of the space, with generous seating arranged around it to encourage family gatherings and friendly conversations. A 17-foot window bench with integrated storage offers additional opportunities for informal relaxation or enjoying the natural scenery. This approach demonstrates interior design excellence.
The Kitchen as a Functional and Design Element
The kitchen features white oak cabinetry paired with engineered stone countertops and fronts. A long island equipped with a bar sink and ample seating subtly defines the space, creating a balance between functionality and visual elegance.
Finishing Touches: Warmth and Reduced Echo
A continuous ceiling of western hemlock boards adds a warm tone and tactile texture, while also helping reduce acoustic echo within the space, enhancing comfort and tranquility in daily use.
Lower Level: Bedrooms Connected to Nature
On the lower level, five bedrooms open directly onto the forest through floor-to-ceiling windows and private exterior entrances, offering guests complete privacy and an immediate connection to the surrounding landscape.
Primary Bedroom and the Camping Experience
The primary bedroom faces west and opens fully to the outdoors, while its ensuite bathroom includes an outdoor shower, a design feature inspired by the family’s appreciation for camping and their desire for a direct connection with nature.
Accessibility for Everyone
The upper floor also includes a sixth bedroom and bathroom, both designed to be fully accessible, ensuring that every family member can enjoy the cottage comfortably, regardless of mobility needs.
Design Philosophy: Balancing Privacy and Nature
Lead architect Heather Dubbeldam explains that the cottage was designed with living spaces placed on the upper floor and bedrooms on the lower level, ensuring the site’s natural terrain is preserved while maintaining full accessibility for all family members.
An Unconventional Layout Enhancing the Connection to Nature
This slightly unconventional arrangement reflects the designers’ commitment to linking the natural retreat to its surroundings. The shared living spaces sit within the tree canopy, enhancing the sense of immersion in nature, while the private areas rest at forest floor level to provide comfort and privacy for every family member.
Outdoor Spaces: Expanding Into Nature
The two levels of the cottage are offset along their length to create two generous outdoor areas discreetly integrated into the building’s form, offering extended opportunities to connect with the surrounding natural environment.
Upper Decks: A Panoramic Experience
The main upper deck extends from the living room, expanding the living areas into the open air with panoramic views of the forest and water from three sides. The deck includes retractable screens for insect protection, along with a wood-burning outdoor fireplace that mirrors the interior hearth, allowing the owners to enjoy the outdoors even during colder months.
Lower Deck: Natural Coolness and Summer Comfort
The lower deck, shaded beneath the cantilevered upper floor and positioned against a rock outcrop, remains naturally cool in summer thanks to the rock’s inherent temperature regulation and the breeze passing over the lake, making it an ideal space for relaxation in warm weather.
Sustainable Construction: Harmony With Nature
The cottage is built entirely off-grid, powered by a large solar array. It is constructed from sustainably sourced wood species, including locally processed timber, combining natural beauty with environmental responsibility.
Wood as a Structural and Aesthetic Element
Wood is used throughout the cottage as both a structural material and a finishing surface. Greyed cedar and charcoal-stained spruce clad the exterior, allowing the building to visually blend into the surrounding forest. Inside, a lighter palette of brush-finished oak flooring and oil-rubbed hemlock creates a warm and relaxing atmosphere.
Material Continuity and Connection to the Landscape
The hemlock ceiling boards extend uninterrupted from interior to exterior, reinforcing a sense of material continuity and strengthening the cottage’s connection to its natural surroundings. More information about the materials can be found in our Material Datasheets.
A Year-Round Retreat
Fully winterized, Long Lake Cottage is not merely a summer escape, it becomes a year-round sanctuary for slowing down, living in harmony with nature, and experiencing the changing seasons, shifting light, and the sounds of the forest and lake.
✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight
The design of Long Lake Cabin reflects a clear commitment to blending architecture with nature, achieved through the use of sustainable wood materials, the seamless continuation of the hemlock ceiling from indoors to outdoors, and the spatial arrangement that enhances both privacy and connection to the natural surroundings. These elements create a valuable framework for future projects seeking to integrate buildings harmoniously within their environments while emphasizing sustainability and sensory experience.
However, the project also raises several architectural considerations that may require further study when applying similar concepts in other contexts. For example, the bridge-access approach to the upper floor may present challenges in larger-scale designs or for families with more users. Additionally, the cabin’s full reliance on solar power demands a careful evaluation of site resources and the resilience of the system throughout different seasons. Likewise, offsetting the two levels to create concealed outdoor areas offers a unique experience but may increase construction complexity and long-term maintenance requirements.
From an architectural perspective, the project can be viewed as a valuable case study in techniques for integrating buildings with natural topography and rethinking the layout of interior and exterior spaces to create a living experience closely connected to the environment. However, some of the architectural solutions employed here may be limited in applicability or become costly when implemented in urban settings or in sites with less privacy and fewer natural resources.
information about the project
- Architects: Dubbeldam Architecture + Design
- Area: 333 m²
- Year: 2025
- Photographs: Riley Snelling
ArchUp: Material and Technical Analysis of the Calypacks Terracite Rock-Integrated Complex
This article examines the Calypacks Terracite complex in Copenhagen as a case study in sculpted architecture integrated with rocky terrain. To enhance its archival value, we present the following key technical and material data:
The structure comprises a monolithic curved form angled at 15 degrees, integrated with a natural rock cave that maintains a constant temperature of 8°C year-round. The design utilizes digitally fabricated metal cassettes treated with a hydro-dip technique at 37°C to achieve a unique sheen, with manufacturing precision of ±0.5 mm.
The interior design is characterized by the use of eco-friendly concrete with varied wooden formwork that creates tonal variations on surfaces. All technical systems are installed beneath the floor or within technical benches along the rock wall. The design leaves 85% of the natural rock surface exposed, with semi-transparent glass doors that allow blue-purple LED lighting to permeate at 150 lux.
In terms of thermal performance, integration with the natural cave reduces heating demand by 70%, utilizing a natural ventilation system that operates on pressure differentials between the lower entrance and upper openings. The total area is 650 m², distributed across three levels that follow the terrain’s slope, offering panoramic views of the Øresund Strait.
Related Link: Please refer to this article for a comparison of architectural integration techniques with natural terrain:
Sculpted Architecture: Integration Techniques with Terrain and Rocky Sites
https://archup.net/the-underground-churches-of-lalibela-ethiopias-hidden-stone-sanctuaries/