Shiplap siding, glazed walls and large hip roofs form the exterior of holiday homes designed by Canadian studio MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects for an upscale resort island in Ontario's Muskoka region.

The Bigwin Island Club Cabins are part of a planned community on a 210-hectare island in the Lake of Bays, located about 260 kilometres north of Toronto. The island is named after Chief John Bigwin of the Ojibway indigenous community.
Bigwin Island has long been a summer retreat for well-heeled travellers, with the first resort and golf course being built there in the 1920s. The area fell into disuse in the late 20th century, but has been revitalised in recent years. A new, 18-hole championship golf course opened there in 2002.

A housing development with 40 cabins is now planned for the private island, which is dotted with maple, pine and ash trees. MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects ? which is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia ? has designed three different models, all of which employ the same design vocabulary and offer views of the scenic landscape. Ranging from 116 to 125 square metres, the holiday homes are meant to be "quietly assertive" and exhibit a heightened level of craftsmanship.

The architects began the design process by "listening to the land." In particular, they took note of the clear vistas under trees ? the result of deer grazing. These openings "influenced the siting of the buildings and their emphasis on transparency between roof...