17
18 Sustainable Environments
Shim Sutcliff e Architects, Island House,
ousand Islands, Ontario, Canada
e house is situated on one of the ou-
sand Islands, home still to a number of dairy
farms. To preserve the agrarian nature of the
surroundings, the 5-acre (2-hectare) meadow
around the house was hydroseeded with a
regional clover mix, which a neighboring
farmer harvests a few times yearly. e house
presents a more private face to the road,
while, on the other side, it opens onto expan-
sive views of the St. Lawrence River.
Above and Right e house and its garden
spaces constitute a variety of landscaped
surfaces. ese include two levels of green
roofs, covering 1,700 square feet (157.9
square meters), that connect to the natural
site through plantings, texture, and color. e
upper green roof is planted with indigenous
wildfl owers. A dry garden and a green court
are both sheltered by the 200-foot (61-meter)
concrete retaining wall that is cut into the
low incline of the site.
rural road
green roof
top of living room pavilion
refl ecting pool
clover meadow
bay of the St. Lawrence River
parking area
entrance
dry garden
sunken green court
19
Site Specificity
Above Four varieties of sedum (S. album, S.
fl oriferum Weihenstephaner Gold, S. kamts-
chaticum ellacombianum, and S. spectabile
Brilliant) are cultivated on the lower green
roof. e roof plantings refl ect the colors of
the clover meadow below, while the gravel of
the eaves repeats that of the dry garden.
20 Sustainable Environments
Above Where the house faces the river,
full-height glazing in the kitchen, dining, and
living spaces takes in a sweeping panorama
of the landscape. e refl ecting pool in the
foreground wraps around three sides of the
living room pavilion; the water garden con-
tains native water lilies and bulrushes.
Right e green roof is integrated into a
built-up roof with a modifi ed bitumen mem-
brane over wood and steel-frame construc-
tion. e 5-inch (127-millimeter) soil mix-
ture rests on top of a geotextile fi lter cloth,
an expanded polystyrene drainage board, and
the membrane roof. e thin profi le of the
eaves, visible in most of the photographs, is
achieved by the soffi t extension beyond the
green roof that stops at the building enve-
lope.
Opposite Four ground surfaces come togeth-
er at the corner of the refl ecting pool: eir
planarity complements the level landscape of
the surrounding farmland and creates a bal-
anced man-made landscape in harmony with
the natural one.
pea gravel adhered with asphalt bitumen
heavy-gauge galvanized aluminum
to match existing
select Douglas fi r fascia
1
/
2
” (12.7 mm) exterior-grade birch ply
painted pine reveal board
caulk
slope
select fi r sill
2-ply modifi ed bitumen roofi ng
green roof systemDouglas fi r or cedar fascia
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