Hamilton, ON — Set within the rolling countryside of rural Milton, Nassagaweya Farm brings together an 1850s stone barn, an original farmhouse, and later additions, transforming them into a unified home that balances heritage preservation with modern performance and comfort.
The site’s historic stone barn and farmhouse stood as distinct but disconnected elements, each bearing traces of the property’s evolving narrative. Listed on the municipal heritage register, the buildings presented both an opportunity and a constraint – respect their material integrity and cultural value while resolving circulation, accessibility, and environmental performance across multiple structures built at different times and levels. mcCallumSather’s design approach avoids mimicry, instead distinguishing new interventions through contemporary forms and materials that remain subdued and respectful of the original fabric.
Three gabled volumes are unified through a new transparent link that establishes a clear entry sequence and reorganizes movement throughout the home. This glazed connector introduces long sightlines across the site and brings daylight deep into the plan, while a sculptural vertical stair anchors the transition between old and new. What was once a confusing network of seven separate staircases is resolved into a single, legible circulation strategy that clarifies how the house is used and experienced.
Original stone walls and heavy timber are carefully preserved and expressed, complemented by steel-and-glass additions that clearly articulate contemporary intervention without competing with the historic structures. A large, salvaged farm wheel, retained and reintroduced as part of the architectural composition, acts as both artifact and anchor. Reclaimed and locally sourced materials reinforce the project’s material continuity and sustainable intent, while allowing the architecture to register time and craft rather than conceal it.
“Rather than treating the buildings as separate artifacts, the intent was to let them read as parts of a single story,” says Ajdin Mehanovic, Associate, Architect at mcCallumSather. “The challenge was finding moments where contemporary interventions could bring clarity and performance to the house without diminishing the weight and character of the original stone and timber structures.”
Interior spaces evolved alongside the architecture, shifting from an initially rustic direction toward a Belgian farmhouse sensibility that balances warmth and restraint. The project was developed through a close collaboration with interior designer Angela Murphy, who acted as both client and design partner. Ajdin Mehanovic offered architectural services to help reframe the relationship between the historic structures and later additions, while Senior Associate, Interior Design Lead, Liz Gabaldo and Amanda Corbett, Intermediate Designer, provided ongoing support to align interior material selections with the architectural intent. Throughout design development and construction, refinements focused on buildability and clarity, ensuring that contrasts between heritage stone, timber, and contemporary elements remained legible and well resolved.
The integration of geothermal heating and solar panels advances energy efficiency beyond code requirements, aligning the project’s long-term operational goals with the client’s interest in comfort, durability, and environmental responsibility. These systems are coordinated quietly within the architectural framework, supporting performance without dominating the spatial experience.
Nassagaweya Farm reflects a careful negotiation between preservation and reinvention. The project honours the site’s agricultural origins while supporting contemporary living, demonstrating how adaptive reuse, material integrity, and sustainable systems can coexist within a single residential framework, shaped as much by time and landscape as by design intent.
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Alicia Giammaria
Senior Public Relations and Communications Manager
mcCallumSather
aliciag@mccallumsather.com
www.mccallumsather.com
