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Two Hulls House

Two Hulls House

Two Hulls House
General information
Status	Completed
Architectural style	Vernacular Style (architecture)
Location	Central Port Mouton Rd. Port Mouton, Region of Queens Municipality, Nova Scotia Canada
Coordinates	43°53′33″N 64°47′38″W
Completed	August 2011 (August 2011)
Technical details
Floor area	2,750 sq ft (300 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Brian MacKay-Lyons Talbot Sweetapple Kevin Reid, David Bourque Omar Gandhi Sawa Rostkowska Jordan Rice
Structural engineer	Campbell Comeau Engineering Limited
Other designers	Cornelia Hahn Oberlander Ihor Pona Pin/Taylor Architects
Main contractor	Delmar Construction Ltd.
References
I. "Two Hulls House". Canadian Architect. May 16, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2023.

Two Hulls House is a single-family dwelling designed by Brian MacKay-Lyons and Mackay-Lyons Sweetapple, which finished construction in August 2011. Located in Port Mouton, Nova Scotia, the home designed for a family of four is known for its vernacular style reflective of Nova Scotia's East Coast history and landscape.

Two Hulls House was awarded the Governor General's Medals in Architecture in 2018. this award "recognizes and celebrates outstanding design in recently built projects created by Canadian architects."

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is located on the east coast of Canada, looking out to the Atlantic Ocean. This province frequently experiences drastic temperature fluctuations throughout the year above and below zero; these extreme temperature changes require buildings to be structurally sturdy and materially resilient. The harsh forces of wind and water continuously test the exterior building materials. Nova Scotia is defined by wind, ocean, and rock, which all begin to inform the Vernacular architecture style. Buildings have a trimless form with typically little or no roof overhangs; they are traditionally located perched on top of the rock-scape and consist of small windows facing the sea.

Vernacular Architecture

Nova Scotia vernacular architecture refers to the traditional building styles and techniques developed by the early settlers of Nova Scotia, a Province in Eastern Canada. These styles reflect the practical needs and cultural values of the people who built them, as well as the region's local materials and environmental conditions. The Maritime provinces of Canada have a vernacular architecture which unites past and present communities with similar gestures and forms relating to the region's strong connection to the barnyard, fishing and narrative of wind, ocean and rock. In the last decade, many architects and builders in Nova Scotia have sought to follow in architect Brian Mackay-Lyon's footsteps by incorporating elements of vernacular architecture into contemporary designs. They are creating a modern interpretation of traditional building styles that reflects the region's history and cultural identity.

Another typical style of vernacular architecture in Nova Scotia is the saltbox house. These houses are characterized by their long, sloping roofline that extends down to the first floor at the rear of the house, resembling the shape of a saltbox container. They were also typically built using local materials such as wood and stone. Other examples of Nova Scotia vernacular architecture include the Acadian-style house, characterized by a steeply pitched gable roof and a symmetrical façade, and the Scottish-style house, which often features a central chimney and a single room on each floor.

Architecture

Brian Mackay-Lyons has made a world-famous career by creating buildings cultivated from Nova Scotia's culture and landscape. Two Hulls House is one of the best-known examples of Mackay-Lyons Sweetapple's vernacular style of architecture. Mackay-Lyons says, "We see architecture as a cultivating influence on the landscape rather than a consumptive one. I think in order to understand how to do that; we tend to look at vernacular or agrarian building traditions because of the landscapes that come out of those." Two Hulls House is a result of mixing the forms of the practical barnyard and the idea of large vessels dry-docked in shipyards; while simultaneously incorporating all the surrounding landscape has to offer.

Exterior

Entrance to the Two Hulls

Two Hulls House is a manifesto from the architect Brian MacKay-Lyons on Nova Scotia vernacular architecture. The project resembles and responds to many cultural elements cultivated from the province's culture. Instead of putting a building in the middle of a field and taking over the entire landscape, Brian MacKay-Lyons places the building on the edge of the whole property and cantilevers the form outward 9.8-meters over the Atlantic coast, allowing the property to remain unchanged and nature thrive. This design of two adjoining rectangular pavilions cultivates itself from the province's culture and history of wood-sided barns and the predominant boating/fishing industry. The steel-frame building rests lightly on a rocky coastline located on the Atlantic coast. Two Hulls House's endoskeleton structure helps the design resist the region's gravitational force and common wind lift. The building' structure is a steel truss bridge cantilevering from a minimally invasive concrete fin foundation. Principal Architects Brian Mackay-Lyons and Talbot Sweetapple recreated their shared childhood memories of running around in the province's many shipyards through the two parallel hull forms that cantilever out, allowing the owners to walk underneath the cradled hulls. By covering the underside of the pavilions in wood, the architect lets the house float and allows people to inhabit the area between the building and the ground. The use of an 8' vertical board-and-batten cedar rain screen protects the building from the elements while resembling the province's humble barn structures of the area. The ends of the two hulls, which face the ocean, consisting of a 24' tall minimalist curtain-wall glazing met with a covered balcony. On the landside of the home, Brian MacKay-Lyons creates a wood-clad block that pushes through one pavilion and contacts the other to connect the two.

Interior

The 2750 sq ft home consists of two parallel rectangular pavilions/hulls spanning lengthwise from North to South. The pavilions are joined on the southern side with a central entrance vestibule. The pavilion on the west side is programmed as the 'day pavilion,' including a central core of the kitchen and living areas with a floating hearth that reaches 7.3 m in height. In contrast, the parallel eastern 'Night' pavilion is programmed with a side core consisting of sleeping quarters. Both hulls have covered porches facing the sea that appear like pair of binoculars to a nearby sailor.

Awards

2018 Governor General’s Medal for Architecture

2016 American Institute of Architects, International Region Honor Award for Open International

2014 Architizer Awards, People’s Choice Award

2014 Mies Crown Hall America’s Prize, Nominated

2012 Azure Magazine, AZ People’s Choice Design Award

2012 Architectural Record, Record Houses Award

2011 Nova Scotia Lieutenants Governor's Medal of Excellence

2011 Canadian Architect Award of Excellence

2011 North American Wood Design Citation

Bibliography

Robert, McCarter. The Work of Mackay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects. London: Thames & Hudson, 2017.

Brian, MacKay-Lyons; Robert, McCarter. Local Architecture: Building Place, Craft and Community. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2015.

Brian, MacKay-Lyons; Peter, Buchanan. Ghost: Building an Architectural Vision. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2008.

Malcolm, Quantrill; Glenn, Murcutt; Kenneth, Frampton; Brian, MacKay-Lyons. Plain Modern: The Architecture of Brian Mackay-Lyons. Chicago: Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, 2005.