"My favourite projects are those where the client wants something never before done and trusts us to deliver."

JONATHAN FRIEDMAN​​​​

​​

​

The fireplace is the gathering place of any home. While constructing a new 5000sf family cottage, the client sought our ideas for a large, double-sided fireplace shared between the double-height living room, dining room and screened outdoor 'Muskoka Room.' 

​​

The Muskoka region lies at the southern edge of the Canadian Shield and is characterized by some of the oldest rocks, including Muskoka Granite, which originated 2 to 4 billion years ago during the Precambrian era.   

​

The site's geology and the rock's beautiful appearance became the inspirational starting point. We proposed creating a sculptural rock monolith in-the-round in the living room composed of Muskoka granite cap rock extracted directly from the site - a hyper-local sustainable strategy.

​​​

Read more . . . 

​​​​

To our knowledge, this is the first time something like this has been done and the only one like it ever created.

​​

The project reflects our commitment to innovation. We lead the team during every phase of the process, ideating and figuring out how to achieve what has never been done before. We have developed a unique set of skills and processes that enable us to propose and envision the seemingly impossible and then figure out how to achieve it methodically.  Our clients trust and engage us to propose bold and innovative solutions, knowing that while we may not have all the answers at the onset, we will tenaciously figure out how to make it happen.

​

Starting with a 3D scan of the cap rock, we created a digitized stone model. We then created a script in Grasshopper to identify the optimal locations for stone extraction while meeting our exacting design and structural performance requirements. Working with our team, we developed a unique process to cut the stone horizontally below the surface at the precise depth required and extract the large singular pieces safely and intact.

​

​The fireplace consists of 17 pieces of stone, totalling 40 tons. The stone's thickness varies from a minimum of 4" (as determined by the structural engineers) to a maximum of 18". The largest pieces weigh approximately 12,000 lbs each and measuring 9' x 5' in size.

​

​​​​​​​​​​​​​

​​​​

Phase:                  Construction

Architect:              LIMINAL​

Client:                 Private

Structural Engineer:    Tacoma Engineering

Stone Specialist:       Picco Engineering

Stone Cutting:          Canadian Coring + Cutting