A Home Designed to Be Unbreakable (House Tour)

The Sandbox by Peter Braithwaite Studio is a three-storey, timber-clad home in the Bay of Chaleur in Canada. As a home designed to be unbreakable, The Sandbox illustrates a pleasing simplification of ideas and forms in both architecture and interior design, as seen in this house tour.
Having spent their childhood summers holidaying in the area, the clients – Joshua and Chelsea Jenks – were aware of Canada’s climatic conditions and, as such, approached Peter Braithwaite Studio with an idea for a home designed to be unbreakable. Further, Joshua’s work in the construction industry and relationships with local trades laid the foundations for a collaborative partnership with Peter Braithwaite Studio across the architecture and interior design.

The resulting home is a timber-clad rectangular form that protrudes from the landscape. As a home designed to be unbreakable, it has a single opening framed in Corten steel in the front facade and a boxy, Corten steel-clad staircase, which provides access to a rooftop terrace. These materials were selected in response to the harsh Atlantic climate and to reflect the local building culture and construction practices. As Peter says, “the eastern white cedar and weathering steel will allow the building’s facades to age with grace and, in time, seamlessly blend within the weathered landscape,” supporting the notion of a home designed to be unbreakable.

The house tour highlights the interior design, which is an extension of the architecture. The kitchen, living and dining areas are located on the ground floor where white birch and raw concrete floors make way for a serene and calming interior. Further, the minimal approach to furniture, kitchen cabinetry and decor complements this aesthetic. The level above contains the bedroom, which also benefits from expansive views and access to natural light, and the rooftop deck completes the house tour. The house’s resounding minimalism is something Peter is most proud of, as he says, “although it has a very simple layout, very simple elevations and a simple form, we still feel the elevations are quite interesting and compositionally compelling.”

A process of restraint and refinement is central to this house in Canada – from the brief and scope to the design rationale and materiality. Further, as a home designed to be unbreakable, it exceeds the brief. Peter describes it as “an elegant, well-crafted dwelling that will stand the test of time.”

00:00 - Introduction to the Unbreakable House
00:57 - The History of the Site
01:53 - A Focused and Refined Brief
02:26 - An Organised Layout
02:58 - The Minimalist Material Palette
03:51 - A Local Construction Collaboration
04:53 - Proud and Unique Moments

For more from The Local Project:



Photography by Ema Peter.
Architecture by Peter Braithwaite Studio.
Build by GOMA Construction, Pro Construction and Elevation Enterprises.
Landscape by Jenks Excavation.
Electrical Engineering by Aldeo Electric.
Structural Engineering by CORBO and Boucher Machining.
Plumbing by Gulliver Plumbing.
Filmed and Edited by O&Co Homes.
Production by The Local Project.

Location: Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada

The Local Project acknowledges the traditional territories and homelands of the Indigenous peoples in Canada. We recognise the importance of Indigenous peoples in the identity of our respective countries and continuing connections to Country and community. We pay our respect to Elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all Indigenous people of these lands.

#Home #Canada #TheLocalProject

[robthewaywardwoodworker]

So great to see something from Canada. Wonderful expression of the style. Love the extraneous core-ten steel staircase. So simple and yet so elegant. Well done.

[surfband]

Striking warm modern structure, I can see this situated on a vast grassland, also. Our great prairies have the sound of the wind rushing through the silence as well as beautiful sunsets.

[ginacrusco]

Beautiful, classy, striking build. The surrounding cottages are much more modest.

[michelfortier]

Sandbox is such an appropriate name. Really well done, small but cozy with a great view. Great idea on building with small footprint but going up in height.

[nikkilogan]

I love how the design of the Sandbox really fits the view & the home owner's vision. Thank you Local Project 😎

[arcticredpanda]

I love this home but even more I love the story of this home. Local indeed.

[mrvk]

This is not my aesthetic but I still appreciate the architectural work here. The boxy design is striking and the small footprint is not noticeable inside, which offers very spacious, well proportioned rooms. Obviously, the views are spectacular. I love the view from the roof deck - it looks like you are on ship!

[tylovsims]

So cool to see something so unique from my area, love having the Canadian East Coast showcased 🇨🇦

[iahorvath]

Happy to see a project from Canada? Great, spacious home that takes advantage of the amazing views!

[sunnysideup]

This is such a nice house. Minimal is perfect here and what a wonderful light! Love it.

[danielconradie]

One drawback about shifting from a career in architecture into landscaping design is that it has become painfully obvious that most architects have absolutely no idea how to relate a building to its site, and oftentimes it's left merely as an afterthought. So you end up having this incredibly harsh approach. I'm hoping that the garden is a work in progress, and that this episode was merely filmed at least two years too early. But come now, all I can think of is wincing as I walk barefoot over an ocean of gravel. Ouch.

The entrance elevation - although compositionally interesting - it is all unceremoniously revealed in one go. I would love to see some trees planted to at least allow the house to be revealed gradually, and to help break its immense scale down a bit. Very intimidating approach.

[SunShine-dkrk]

Super inspirational, I build architectural models for fun and vids like this make my day, ❤❤❤. Thanks for a great vid to the uploader & home owners, best wishes to everyone.

[onehungryorca]

Like the house but not sure if Corten steel is a good idea in this use case. Corten steel does not do well in wet climate and may not do well against the salty ocean air.

[ThreeRunHomer]

If a goal is resilience against extreme weather in a vulnerable location, I’m surprised the house isn’t raised on piers/posts. Flooding must be a concern because there are boulders stacked out front. None of the homes are raised, so there must be a reason not to, but I wonder what that is?

[_Ninjakeks_]

Beautiful house, but does it fit in the environment/city?

[x_xxx]

To be honest, one of contemporary house representing those architects

[d-manc]

I don't know about the weather over there but will the metal staircase is going to get hot af to step on to when exposed to intense beach sunlight or mostly cloudy the whole year over there? Amazing production as always.

[ch]

Nice design in general, but to not elevate this structure and be prepared for both storm surge and rising tides is insane.

[Lucas-vdgx]

I got a new hobby and that is geolocating stuff! So without further ado, the before of Sandbox is just surreal: 2008 Queen Elizabeth Dr
Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada

[ludovicomassa]

I can see plenty of Sean Godsell inspiration there