French River Cottage

Upper Canada's picturesque French River is home to this passive solar cottage design by Canadian architects Altius Architecture. This 1,000-sq.-ft. cottage features an exposed wood frame that was prefabricated and assembled on location (a secluded spot on the rocky river front, with no on-site power), making for a more-efficient construction process. But just building a cottage wouldn’t do. This sustainable house design boasts a number of eco friendly features like passive solar heating; natural ventilation and passive cooling; natural day-lighting; reclaimed and recycled materials and renewable materials and finishes; solar photovoltaic system for off-the-grid power (so much for that pesky “no on-site power” problem!); and of course, minimizing power consumption with a high-efficiency masonry wood stove for heating, and low wattage lighting. (Following Altius Architecture)