Located on the banks of Lake Huron, one of the five Canadian Great Lakes just an hour away from London, Ontario, is this incredible 1,600 m2 second home right in the heart of the countryside. Hardly the typical holiday home, this lake-side “cabin” is used year-round by the owners as a getaway for enjoyment by three generations.

Aiming to create a contemporary durable, versatile, low-maintenance space with an attractive and surprising look, Neolith was chosen for the interior and exterior. 

Aiming to create a contemporary durable, versatile, low-maintenance space with an attractive and surprising look, Neolith was chosen for the interior and exterior. It’s a contemporary home right next to the water designed by Mark Bullivant and Johan Basson, SAOTA (Cape Town, South Africa), in collaboration with Steven Cooper and Phil Sharron from matter architectural studio inc. (London, Ontario).

As far as the eyes can see

The architects and designers faced a considerable challenge with this project from the very start. Conceptually, the architects stacked a series of rectangular boxes to embed the building into the ground plane, and suspended one overhead so that the living level could exist in between. Then, they set up an indoor-outdoor volume to the south in order to anchor the building and allow the various spaces to capitalize on the views.

Chromatic duo: Neolith Strata Argentum and Nero Zimbabwe

A monochromatic exterior in a natural environment

The architects designed it so the setting sun would offer an impressive show from the living room in the summer all while creating an informal and laid-back feeling given the home was built for the whole family to relax and enjoy.

The entire external surface of the home was paneled with Neolith, using 2,000 m2 of the material for the Ceramitex® facade system featuring Unity® attachment technology patented by Elemex®, the installation of which was completed by Ontario Panelization. 

Here, architects Bullivant and Basson used a lighter tone, the Neolith Strata Argentum model in combination with a jet black, Neolith Nero Zimbabwe.

The final project execution was completed with intense collaboration, extensive technical knowledge and full respect of the design intention.” - Steven Cooper Matter Architectural Studio Inc

A unique project, both due to the look as well as the construction, with pure lines and earthly colors that really reflect the warmth of a precious, modern home. Neolith was the ideal choice for the home’s facades because of its durability as well as its capacity to be molded to form unusual shapes.

Sintered Stone on the inside...

In collaboration with the company’s distribution partners Marble Trend and Ontario Panelization, the entire inside of the home was cladded with Neolith: the floors, bathrooms, kitchen ceiling, several hallways and the stairs going up three stories. 

The interior color palette is a subtle representation of the exterior with a strategic balance between light and dark tones. While Neolith Strata Argentum was used on the floors, the Krater model was Krater on the fireplaces and outer panels for a dark metal look.

The seamless continuity of the material from the interior to the exterior was further emphasized by stone and texture artist Eva Chylinski, who hand-painted the edges of each surface in perfect combination with the model used for the paneling.

Materiality is a key pillar of our design ethos, in that we constantly seek to create interest and expression in our buildings through the products we use.” - Johan Basson, SAOTA.

Our main goal was to build a home that could bear Canada’s climate conditions without sacrificing on the looks. When the customer told us about Neolith, we instantly fell in love with the brand because of the immense variety of high-quality finishes as well as the durability." - Johan Basson SAOTA

A Product for the Future

Neolith was chosen for this project because of its aesthetic similarity to the elements found in nature yet the added advantage lies in its durability, versatility and sustainability. This makes it a modern and practical choice for all sorts of residential applications.

I immediately believed in the material because it takes tiling to the next generation and now that I’ve worked with Neolith product, I am well aware of the benefits for end users: floors that last decades, impermeable wall paneling and exterior applications that will bear the effects of mother nature.” - Robert Geerts, Project Manager at Bernardo Group Ltd.