![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_05aw.jpg)
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_01w.jpg)
A house all about the lake
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_13w.jpg)
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_12w.jpg)
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Front entrance and windows frame views through the house to the lake – the semi-enclosed Entry Patio is a moment of calm, away from the lake
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/133.01_MassingDiagram_GIF_21_0702.gif)
The house is a composition of simple masses with spatial intersections that create a complex interior environment. A semi-enclosed courtyard brings light and air into the center of the house. This indoor porosity continues vertically through shafts that connect floors and provide a counterpoint to the monolithic stacked-box appearance of the exterior.
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_08w.jpg)
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_15w.jpg)
All living spaces on the first floor have access to the deck overlooking the lake
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133.01-Presentation-Section-23_0718aw-scaled.jpg)
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133-Sylvan-Lake-House-Plan-GIF-23_1206w.gif)
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![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_26aw.jpg)
Double-height volumes link the first and second floors; views through the house are carefully curated toward the lake
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_28w.jpg)
Kitchen / Dining window
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_25w.jpg)
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_41w.jpg)
Multifunctional Guest room, TV room, and Office can be partitioned from the Entry with large, wood-clad rolling door
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_39w.jpg)
Construction & Finish Materials:
Wood framed construction with steel structure at rims and cantilevers. Insulated concrete foundation. Stained Cedar rain-screen siding with aluminum-framed structural silicon glazed window system (triple-pane insulated glass is adhered to the exterior of the frames, flush with the adjacent siding). Accoya decks and bleached White Oak interior floors. Custom cabinetry integrated into gyp-board and painted MDF walls. Hot-rolled steel & Oak structural stair and hot-rolled steel cabinets in se-lected areas. Stained Cedar from the Guest Wing extends through to the interior and ends with a large rolling wall panel. Frameless doors throughout. Radiant in-floor heating with forced-air cooling. LED lighting.
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_16w.jpg)
The stair as seen from the Entry with view off the East Patio
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133.01_Wall-Sect-A5.05_short_CURRENT_v2022w.jpg)
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_22w.jpg)
Wall section through the staircase and Pantry; view of the patio and steel canopy through the pantry, open to the stair
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_17w.jpg)
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_19w.jpg)
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![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_18w.jpg)
Handrail detail - White Oak hardwood and hot rolled steel sheet metal
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_23w.jpg)
View from the pantry into the Kitchen / Dining / Living area
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_33w.jpg)
Main Bathroom
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_36w.jpg)
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_35w.jpg)
Monolithic wardrobe in the Main Bedroom clad in hot rolled steel
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_37w.jpg)
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_38w.jpg)
View from the Main Bedroom to the lake; detail of the Main Bedroom wardrobe
The project was built during the pandemic necessitating a shift to all-Canadian products and finishes to avoid costly and unpredictable imports. Owner-Architect-Contractor meetings were conducted via weekly Zoom and Facetime links.
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/133_SylvanLakeHouse_PhotoByBruceDamonte_14w.jpg)
![](https://www.actual.ac/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/133_IMG_4481aw.jpg)
(photo at right by the owners)
Project Awards
2023 AN Best of Design, Editors’ Pick
2023 AIA Central States Region Merit Award
2023 AIA Nebraska Citation Award
Publications
Residential Design Magazine, v3. 2017
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