CABIN CLASS

An elegant escape on a remote Ontario island offers up a contemporary reinterpretation of the local vernacular

- ELLIE STATHAKI

Located off the east coast of Georgian Bay in Pointe au Baril, Ontario, Whistling Wind Island is so named because the wind here does indeed whistle.

This is confirmed by Kelly Buffey, the co-founder of Toronto-based architecture studio AKB, which has recently completed a new-build house on the island, a summer escape for a family of three.

When the family approached the practice about building their private retreat, they were downsizing from a much larger property in the area. One member is a kite surfer and a desire to be as close as possible to the water, alongside an overall wish for simplicity and a connection to nature, led them to purchase this islet on Lake Huron. On it, two existing structures hinted at the boundaries for what could be built in this sparsely inhabited, windswept part of the world.