Some might question whether this building is a house at all, however, it falls clearly in the tradition of the artists’ dwellings as industrial loft space.

Situated on a narrow peninsula into the sea along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, the Studio/Spa is located among the ruins of a historic village at the end of the world: the site of the legendary design/build Ghost Lab. Its monopitch roof is measured against the ocean horizon and surrounding topography. The wedge-form defines the courtyard, the garden, and the “skyroom”: a 500 year old foundation ruin. The project echoes Pallasmaa’s statement about our work: “A cultured and benevolent building always enters into a dialogue with its context. This project is zoomorphic, with its west “head” (sleeping loft) following the angle of the cliffs below, and its east “tail” (spa).

In 2006, a 100 ft “studio/dining hall” was constructed during the Ghost Lab 8. Now it has been upgraded to a year round home for the architect. In 2023, a 100 ft long, 1500 sq ft extension was built, containing: foyer, pantry, laundry, 40 ft lap pool, gym, hot tub, steam shower, 1/2 bath, sauna, terrace and firewood storage.

Completed in 2024, the building measures 20x200 ft. It features a passive solar design with a glazed south facade and a 4 ft deep north side core. Its one-room-deep plan facilitates natural ventilation and provides double-aspect views and light. The 12x12 ft totemic center core clearly delineates the “dwelling” from the “spa”, and allows for a more articulated entry sequence. Parallel to the building is a 12x70 ft hemlock timber terrace and a 60 ft raised garden, creating a microclimate.

The new east facade is a solid firewood storage. Seen in plan, there is a gradual spatial sequence from the public to the private domain, from sunrise to sunset. This project is a landscape viewing device, allowing inhabitants to observe and commune with light and weather through the seasons (prospect), while the muted north wall shields them from northern winds (refuge). As a wedge-form that originated from the firm since the Howard House in 1999, this project guides the body of work of the practice. It serves as a model for an architecture that is in dialogue with the ordinariness of a particular place - the banal. This view is akin to Brodsky’s belief that “Beauty can’t be targeted, it is always a by-product of often very ordinary pursuits”.

The structure establishes modularity of the space. Phase 1 foundations are a series of concrete fins. Phase 2 foundations form a mechanical basement. Phase 1 framing celebrates structural expression in the social spaces (served) using composite steel angles and wood trusses @ 12 ft o.c., while Phase 2 uses standard stick-frame construction (servant). This project is a single material monolithic building, clad with a standard industrial corrugated galvalume skin. This rugged, protective “wrapper” responds to the harsh, coastal climate. Its lack of roof overhang ironically make the paper thin architecture appear as a massive monolith. The concealed “Yankee gutter” is an example of zero detailing which demonstrates the ethic of economy in both the cost and aesthetic. The systems consist of air to water heat pumps, and in-floor heating.

This building’s large, dumb wedge form recalls vernacular, agrarian sheds, as well as land art. It gains its energy quietly through its relationship to its landscape. This monumentally modest building elevates simplicity into a moral idea, and critiques the fashion-driven architecture that infests the discipline today.

If you would like to stay at Shobac, please inquire here.