OTTAWA, Ontario — Forest Retreat, a project designed by Kariouk Architects in the heart of the Ontarian forest, oozes with woodwork throughout.

Almost all of the natural habitat of the 100-acre property was preserved, including trees and wetlands.

A key objective of the design was to achieve a contemporary approach to warmth and the avoidance of modernist box-like forms. Only bedrooms and bathrooms are closed off in continuous space of the home. The family and parents’ areas are on the main level. The kids’ bedrooms form a single slate-clad volume, suspended 12 meters above the main floor by the ridge beam and accessed by a catwalk.

Contemporary construction is very much entwined with heavy technology and mass-produced components, yet, this project shows how “human craft” can still be expressed. The home celebrates the “mark of the hand” by incorporating a significant use of exposed steel fittings fabricated by local tradespeople, and custom-made panels for walls and ceilings by local woodworkers, including the echo of traditional slate roofing patterns used for walls. Canadian slate and sustainably harvested Canadian white oak were the main materials used.

Key suppliers for the project included Forbo for its Marmoleum flooring, laminate from Abet Laminati and triple-pane windows from Elite.