Known for its scenic forest canopies, beautiful lakes, and quintessential cottages, Haliburton, Ontario lures residents with the promise of outdoor adventure and natural beauty. Nestled within the woodland, and adjacent to one of the area’s many lakes, a striking contemporary cottage offers the ideal four-season retreat to immerse and reconnect with nature. Featuring meticulous design by architect Philipp Stäheli from Stäheli Architecture, the energy conscious cottage design features a tiny house with an eye-catching greenhouse extension that capitalizes on its prime location with continuous views of the changing landscape. Connecting the two spaces are disappearing NanaWall bifolding glass doors to optimize functionality, space, and energy efficiency.
Inspirational Cottage Design Pays Tribute to Natural Surroundings
The cottage is unassumingly segmented into three multifunctional areas: the main living quarters, the greenhouse extension, and a covered porch for additional indoor/outdoor living space. “Our design features natural white pine, concrete, black fixtures and windows,” says Stäheli Architecture. “The cottage presents a fusion of traditional craftmanship and modern materials, offering a durable construction paired with contemporary comforts.” In Haliburton, where temperatures can drop as low as - 22°F (30°C), building a well-insulated dwelling with minimal energy consumption demanded energy-efficient design implementations. The greenhouse, for example, was designed as a passively sun-heated space to extend use of the cottage throughout the seasons.
Small Comforts for Living in the Great Outdoors
Inside the main living space, in-floor heating and a wood-burning stove provide warmth during cold winter months. Exemplifying the design’s heavy use of natural materials, the interior spaces are lined with extensive wood paneling juxtaposed with contemporary concrete and black fixtures. The modern kitchen seamlessly flows into a modest dining area and a cozy living room space for lounging. A small hallway leads to the bathroom and primary bedroom while the loft hosts a second bedroom with plenty of space for accommodating additional guests. In the summer, 7-foot-tall bifolding glass doors open, and merge the main living quarters and the greenhouse into one big space for expanded living. The greenhouse becomes the primary living space where cooking, eating, and lounging are enhanced by the views and sounds of the outdoors.
All-Glass Extension Embraces Woodland Views
The attached greenhouse seamlessly integrates into the profile of the cottage design, creating an uninterrupted flow that extends into the attached covered porch. According to Stäheli Architecture, the glass and aluminum structure “provides a unique space to enjoy the exterior and the natural surroundings well into the off seasons.” To minimize energy use during winter, the greenhouse took on a passive solar design with its expansive glass envelope, heat-absorbing concrete floors, and energy-efficient bifolding glass doors. The space offers an immersive experience with optimal views and additional living space for dining, lounging, and sharing the experience with friends and family—offering far more than a traditional greenhouse. The attached covered patio hosts a built-in pizza oven and BBQ for cooking outdoors or for a quick bite between activities.
Seamless Integration with the Bifolding Glass Doors
Creating an expansive 13-foot-wide opening, the NanaWall bifolding glass doors merge the main living quarters and greenhouse into one expanded indoor/outdoor living space. “With NanaWall, we found a folding glass wall product that features both a triple pane and a completely flat threshold on the floor,” says the architect. The five panels effortlessly glide into a specified outward stack, maximizing the square footage inside the modest living space. The specified thermally broken flush sill creates an unobstructed transition between the two living spaces, almost as if no doors existed at all. In the winter, when the doors are kept closed, a specified swing door offers quick transitions between the main quarters and the greenhouse for continued use of the indoor/outdoor amenities.
Four-Season Living Under the Stars with Bifolding Glass Doors
In addition to elevating the space with a flexible opening, the bifolding glass doors were specified with triple glazing to achieve optimal energy efficiency. “The product’s quality and design met our demands on heat loss as well as airtightness,” says the architect. “It runs smoothly and can be operated by anyone. Sleek, jet black aluminum frames effortlessly blend into the rest of the home’s fenestration, creating a seamless design throughout. During winter, when the landscape is blanketed by snow, the cottage design’s energy-efficient applications maintain the living quarters comfortable throughout the cold weather season. The greenhouse transforms into a mudroom and an all-season observation room to the outdoors or the whimsical northern lights.
Final Thoughts
Winner of the Best Legacy award at last year’s NanaAwards, this Ontario getaway exemplifies the best of traditional yet modern cottage design. Built with four-season living in mind, energy conscious and versatile design solutions like the NanaWall bifolding glass doors come together to deliver a striking living space within the woodland. From the inviting main living quarters to the multifunctional greenhouse and covered porch, the spaces flow into one another with easily accessible amenities for optimal indoor/outdoor living. In the evening, much like the stars shining above in the sky, the greenhouse appears to glow from within, putting on a unique display of its own much like the changing leaves of autumn.
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