In section, the architecture responds to the same environmental forces that shape the dunes themselves. The elevated, water-facing public spaces act as a protective edge, deflecting prevailing winds and creating a sheltered courtyard at the heart of the plan. This space becomes an extension of the home, offering a place to gather, retreat, and engage with the outdoors throughout the changing seasons.

In winter, the sheltered courtyard provides a protected setting for a fire, allowing the outdoors to remain an integral part of the living experience even in more exposed coastal conditions. During the summer months, the carefully positioned wings provide shade from the southern sun, creating a comfortable microclimate for outdoor living.

Rather than treating the coastal environment as a backdrop, Dune House draws its form, organization, and spatial character directly from the forces that define it. The result is an architecture shaped by its landscape, where the relationship between building, shelter, and nature is expressed through a singular, enduring gesture.

Set along the coast of Bouctouche, New Brunswick, Dune House takes its inspiration from one of the region’s most distinctive natural features: an expansive, 12-kilometre stretch of sand dunes shaped by the relentless forces of wind, tides, and ocean currents. This dynamic landscape, where the contours of the shoreline are in a constant state of transformation, provides the foundation for the project’s architectural parti.

The design draws on the crescent-shaped formations found throughout the dunes, translating their distinctive geometry into a building that is both responsive to its setting and grounded in a strong formal idea. In plan, a sweeping U-shaped arrangement organizes the house into two distinct wings: a primary living wing and a secondary guest wing. These volumes frame the principal outdoor space while bringing the home’s public areas to the forefront, oriented toward the water and the surrounding coastal landscape.