Inspired by sculptor Donald Judd’s Marfa compound, architect Clinton Cuddington designed his family’s Mayne Island retreat as an open, structurally exposed space, with one end almost entirely glazed to take in the view toward Pender Island.

Photo: Ema Peter

It’s thoughtfully and, just as importantly, sustainably designed: there’s no drywall in the space—“because there is no way to recycle this constant candidate for landfill,” the team noted in their submission—and the majority of wood throughout was reclaimed from the original building on the site, including the exposed floorplate of the second-floor mezzanine.

Photo: Ema Peter

Lovely details like venetian plaster on the walls and a soaring gabled roof contribute to the dynamic design. And perhaps the most striking feature is the fireplace itself, constructed from a cylinder of reclaimed steel from the coring of a bridge pile in Lytton, B.C., cut with strategic holes to foster heat distribution.

Photo: Ema Peter

Project: Shor House living room
Designer: Measured Architecture
Collaborators: Powers Construction
Location: Mayne Island, B.C.

Meet all of the 2024 WL Design 25 winners here.