The Rivers Ranch Retreat is a new 3000sf guesthouse, affectionately called the bunkhouse, on a rolling 100+ acre property south of Tatamagouche, NS. The project's vision is to create a place for guests to stay and reconnect with nature and provide a horse training facility for the riding community in Nova Scotia and beyond. The new building provides accommodation for up to 12 guests, which includes access to kitchen, dining, living and lounge facilities. There is also a large yoga studio / flex space, with an adjacent shower and changeroom. The rooftop level has a sundeck with an outdoor yoga space and vegetated seating areas for taking in the surrounding vista. The flexibility of the spaces will allow for multiple uses for the new facility from corporate to leadership to yoga retreats.
The simple rectangular form of the new bunkhouse complements the original barn structure. The two buildings are connected via an upper-level bridge that is a shared kitchen space. The interior of both the addition and barn are characterized by two curving circular stairs that lead you up ceremoniously to the levels above. The upper level of the barn remains untouched in its original condition and the lower level of the barn will house horse stables along with a wash bay. The new building is built to a passive house level standard, with the highly insulated slab, wall and roof assemblies designed to create an airtight high-performance envelope.
The project is currently under construction and is expected to be completed in 2025.
