The zigzag profile of this Canadian lake house allows natural light to enter deep into living spaces from skylights, while helping orient solar panels to maximise their efficiency.
Located beside Ontario's Stoney Lake, the 3,100 square-foot (290 square metres) Sky House nests into a steep site leading down to the water. To respond to this condition, the architects stacked two volumes on top of each other at irregular angles.

"The lower volume nestles into the landscape so that it is barely visible as one first approaches the house," said architects Julia Jamrozik and Coryn Kempster. "The upper volume rests on the lower one and on a concrete pier to form both a bridge and a cantilever."
On the upper floor, the architects laid out all of the home's social spaces, which are contained in a longitudinal band. The open-plan kitchen, living and dining space overlooks the lake.
An exterior walkway runs along the south facade of the home, and the lower level's roof forms a terrace outside the main living space. "A covered walkway shades the main wall of glass from summer sun while admitting lower winter sun to passively heat the dark-dyed concrete floor," the architects said.
Out of consideration for wheelchair-bound guests, as well as the residents' long-term use of the building, the team included all the amenities necessary to live exclusively on this floor, including a study, bedroom, and a universally accessible bathroom.

The shape of the sawtoot...