The Lookout at Broad Cove Marsh is a residential building in Inverness, Nova Scotia, Canada designed by Omar Gandhi.
It is located on the outskirts of Inverness, Cape Breton Island, Canada. A long and low-profile house, it has a concrete wall anchoring the structure on the uphill side. The angled-down roof protects the house from heavy winds, rain, and snow.[1] [2]
The building was constructed with natural local materials such as wood including cedar, spruce, and birch. The concrete has been left exposed where steel is allowed to weather naturally.[1] There are floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the ocean. The residence is a single-loaded hallway that is minimally furnished. A 48-foot stretch of millwork anchors the whole corridor.[3]
In terms of layout, one half of the house consists of an indoor/outdoor great space with rooms for sitting, cooking, and entertaining. This open area is anchored by an 18-foot-long island that serves as both a food prep area and an eating area. Three repeating pod-like modules on the opposite end of the home slide past the ocean-side windows to connect into the hallway, separating the private areas of bedrooms and baths. The pods are lined with white-washed locally sourced spruce boards of larger widths, in contrast to the concrete surface of the foundation (retaining wall and floor slab) and the fine-grain natural finish of the wooden service bars.
The back elevation of the house features a retaining wall with a strip of glass above it that allows for additional natural light, and a piece of the kitchen roof lifts up to allow for more natural light to pass through.[4]