Photo Credit (Above): Jeremie Warshafsky
Location: Algonquin Highlands, Ontario
Architecture Practice: Reasonable Projects Inc.
Chosen by a jury of respected design experts, the 20 projects comprising the OAA’s 2026 Design Excellence Finalists represent a diverse range of building types, including sustainably designed community centres, innovative housing solutions, revitalized academic and cultural facilities, and transformative public spaces. These finalists serve as the shortlist for the OAA’s 10 Design Excellence Winners, which will be announced next month and honoured at the OAA Conference in the Waterloo Region in May. The biennial OAA Design Excellence Awards program offers Ontario practices the opportunity to display the transformative influence of architecture, promoting broader public recognition and appreciation for the field. The following media statement has been supplied by the submitting project team:
At the heart of the Angle of Repose lake house lies the conviction that design excellence and environmental performance are inextricably bound—a single category. Commissioned by a professor of art history, the brief was to design a beautiful, inscrutable house with the highest level of sustainability.
A strong architectural vision was realized with a digitally fabricated mass timber structure. Airtight three-foot-thick walls, ultra-high-performance glazing, and electric building systems result in dramatic greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions. The result is a building of exceptional performance and architectural clarity; it is a sculptural object nestled in the landscape that is Passive House Certified.
Photo Credit: Jeremie Warshafsky
Photo Credit: Reasonable Projects
Photo Credit: Jeremie Warshafsky
This blOAAg post is part of a series exploring the OAA’s 20 Design Excellence Finalists for 2026, as selected by our jury.