The American Institute of Architect?s (AIA) Housing Awards program was established to acknowledge the best in housing design for new construction, renovations and restorations.
Each year, projects are awarded based on four categories: one- and two-family custom residences; one- and two-family production homes; multifamily housing; and specialized housing.
A five-member jury that evaluated whether designs are sustainable, affordable, durable, innovative, socially impactful, met client needs, and addressed the natural and built contexts, selected this year?s recipients.
Canadian firm MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects has won two of the AIA?s twelve 2019 Housing Awards. The Nova Scotia-based firm received awards for both Mirror Point Cottage in Nova Scotia, and Bigwin Island Club Cabins in Baysville, Ontario. Mirror Point Cottage

Category 1: One- and Two-Family Custom Residences
Photo Credit: James Brittain
Located on a lake near Annapolis Royal in Nova Scotia, Mirror Point Cottage is a vacation home designed as an elevated 80-foot-long extruded ?fish shed?. The cottage is supported by a steel aedicule and a board-formed concrete entry core. It is a long, south-facing screened porch elevated over the lake for prospect. A thick, totemic north wall protects and insulates the interior, while the hovering building forms a gate framing the view to the lake. The rusted steel aedicule contains a sunken outdoor summer kitchen, which offers a sheltered place at grade. Mirror Point Co...