East River Residence

East River Residence is a minimalist coastal retreat located in Nova Scotia, Canada, designed by Omar Gandhi Architects. Few architectural gestures carry as much restraint as suspension – the deliberate choice to let a building hover above the ground rather than claim it. Along the rugged Atlantic shoreline of Nova Scotia, this residence does precisely that, spanning a natural depression between two rocky embankments on a series of slender steel columns that allow the terrain to pass uninterrupted beneath the structure. It is an approach that treats the site not as a foundation to build upon but as a landscape to inhabit without displacing.

The project only reveals itself gradually. Arriving requires following the shoreline and passing through dense coastal forest before descending into an understated valley – a sequencing of discovery that the architects have clearly choreographed with care. This sense of controlled revelation extends into the building itself, where a long metal-clad offset gable floats above a cedar-wrapped base, its geometry shifting subtly in response to program, light, and orientation. The roof is not a singular gesture but a responsive element that modulates throughout the length of the house. Over the primary living spaces, it lowers to draw in southern light and create a sense of enclosure, while above a dedicated yoga studio it lifts dramatically, opening panoramic views toward the coastline and the Atlantic beyond. This variation in ceiling height produces a spatial rhythm that feels intuitive rather than composed – each room calibrated to its specific relationship with the landscape outside.

Soft grey tones across the exterior cladding are selected to weather gradually into alignment with the surrounding rock formations and coastal vegetation, a technique that recalls the slow patination central to Nordic architectural traditions where buildings are designed to age into their environments rather than resist them. The transition between interior and exterior materials is handled with particular subtlety, creating continuity across thresholds rather than drawing hard distinctions between inside and out. Large openings pull the landscape deep into the interior program, while sheltered terraces and outdoor rooms extend habitable space beyond the building envelope. These are not decorative additions but integral components of circulation – spaces that encourage residents to move fluidly between enclosed and exposed conditions throughout the day and across seasons.

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