{"id":675104,"date":"2026-11-04T22:18:14","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T22:18:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/675104\/"},"modified":"2026-11-04T22:18:14","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T22:18:14","slug":"ontario-house-by-brian-obrian-takes-cues-from-farm-buildings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/675104\/","title":{"rendered":"Ontario house by Brian O’Brian takes cues from farm buildings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Canadian architect Brian O\u2019Brian has completed a rural weekend house in Ontario<\/a> that features a slanted, corrugated-metal<\/a> facade and an angled roof covered with greenery.<\/p>\n

The Hemlock House sits on a 72-acre (29-hectare) property in the southern town of Markdale.<\/p>\n

\"Hemlock<\/p>\n

The project grew in scope over time. Originally, the plan was to renovate an old farmhouse, but the client ultimately decided to create an entirely new house.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat started as a modest renovation evolved into a full replacement of the small, 1930s farmhouse,\u201d said Brian O\u2019Brian, a Toronto-based architect.<\/p>\n

\"Hemlock<\/p>\n

The commission came about after the client saw another project by O\u2019Brian in the area \u2013 a 19th-century schoolhouse with stone walls that had been converted into a cottage.<\/p>\n

For the Hemlock House, O\u2019Brian took cues from the region\u2019s agrarian buildings to conceive the design.<\/p>\n

\"Brian<\/p>\n

Set on a flat site surrounded by woods and farmland, the house is composed of a long bar and adjoining box, and totals 3,250 square feet (302 square metres).<\/p>\n

A long entry driveway \u201ctraces the lineage of the site\u201d, passing by an old farmhouse and century-old barn.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"uufie<\/p>\n

\n Read:\n <\/p>\n

UUfie organises renovated Ontario chalet \u201clike a hike\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The new house draws upon these earlier buildings and \u201cextends the language of agricultural buildings into a contemporary domestic form\u201d, the architect said.<\/p>\n

The home\u2019s bar-shaped volume is topped with a sloped, metal-clad roof, while the attached box has an angular green roof.<\/p>\n

\"Hemlock<\/p>\n

The north side of the house is lined with a slanted wall made of corrugated metal.<\/p>\n

Cut into the wall are three windows, which can be covered by external, perforated steel panels that slide up and down. This elevation also features a boxy protrusion with wood cladding.<\/p>\n

\"Hemlock<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is meant to feel like an agrarian building at first view, but one that begins softening and opening on approach,\u201d said the architect.<\/p>\n

The southern elevation \u2013 which overlooks patios and a swimming pool \u2013 features hemlock siding and ample glazing. Various roof overhangs help shield the building from sun and snow.<\/p>\n

\"Brian<\/p>\n

The house also has a carport, which is sheltered by a canopy made of wood and metal.<\/p>\n

Within the home, there is a division between public and private spaces.<\/p>\n

\"Hemlock<\/p>\n

The linear volume, which spans two levels, contains a principal suite, a secondary suite, and two bedrooms with a shared bathroom. The adjoining box holds a kitchen, dining area and living room.<\/p>\n

Rooms feature neutral colours and a mix of earthy and industrial materials.<\/p>\n

\"Brian<\/p>\n

\u201cConcrete and hemlock define every surface, carrying a steady material logic through the house,\u201d the architect said.<\/p>\n

Other projects in Ontario include a 1970s chalet<\/a> that was renovated and expanded by UUfie to conform to its steep site, and a black cabin<\/a> by Barbora Vokac Taylor that includes wedge-shaped clerestory windows.<\/p>\n

Share<\/p>\n

\n Photography by Scott Norsworthy<\/a>\n <\/p>\n

Read more<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Canadian architect Brian O\u2019Brian has completed a rural weekend house in Ontario that features a slanted, corrugated-metal facade…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":675105,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[307,304,305,306,8998,289,86858,308,93,61,60,2152,812],"class_list":["post-675104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-cabins","tag-canada","tag-corrugated-metal","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-ontario","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=675104"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675104\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/675105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=675104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=675104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=675104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}