RIVER PHILIP GOLF COURSE PRESENTATION
COLLINGWOOD CORNER, NS
MACKAY-LYONS SWEETAPPLE ARCHITECTS
JULY 28, 2025
“All good things are wild and free.”
- Henry David Thoreau
REGION
Collingwood Corner, Nova Scotia
Collingwood Corner
Collingwood Corner
River Philip
MASTER PLAN
Phase 1
Core Infrastructure and First Play
Establish operational golf course functions and visitor experience through initial facilities, basic operations, and demonstration housing.
Typology System:
• Huts – Mid-course or trail system service stops
• Sheds – Operational support: maintenance, equipment, cart storage
• Barns – Clubhouse-related buildings: golf shop, pub, dining, simulator, inn
• Lodges – Overnight and wellness accommodations
• Houses – Residential components, for ownership, rental, or staff
Barns
• B1 - Barn One: Multi-use clubhouse. Includes the golf shop, pub, and entry point for guest services. Temporary maintenance support also located in this structure in this phase.
Sheds
• S1 - Shed One: Partial maintenance facility. Provides basic operations storage, equipment shelter, Staff Area and limited workspace for course maintenance.
Huts
• HT1 - Hut One: Halfway house. Positioned mid-course. Offers simple food service and restrooms.
Houses
• H1, H2, H3 House Prototypes: Initial houses built to establish architectural direction and test construction logistics. May be used for staff, rental, or early adopters.
Additional Site Elements
• T1 - Preliminary Trail System: Walking trail loop, accessible to visitors and residents. Limited in length, intended to test public use and integration with golf routing.
Phase 2
Amenity Expansion and Full Operations
Convert temporary operations into permanent structures, expand clubhouse offerings, and broaden housing and trail options.
Barns
• B1- Barn One Renovation: Refitted to function entirely as the golf shop and player services building. Removes pub functions established in Phase 1.
• B2 - Barn Two: New building for dining and entertainment. Includes restaurant, pub, and indoor golf simulator.
Sheds
• S2- Shed Two : Full maintenance facility. Permanent home for turf equipment, extendedstaff office space, and mechanical storage.
Huts
• HT2 - Hut 2 – picnic structure next to river entry serving as gate house as well
Houses
• H# - Additional Houses + neigbour hoods : New residential units added. Integrated with trail system and views to course or river. Zone 1 - Golf
Additional Site Elements
• T2 Extended Trail System: Additional paths link to earlier trails, connect to housing, and loop around key features of the course and landscape. Also connect to larger regional trail system.
Phase 3
Lodging and Destination Build-Out
Transition to a full four-season golf and resort destination. Develop overnight accommodations, wellness offerings, and finalize residential program.
Barns
• B3 Barn 3 - INN: Main in near clubhouse and dining facility. Central check in and reception for all accomodations and 14 rooms above main level.
Sheds
• S3 - Shed Three: Golf cart storage facility. Secure and weatherprotected building near staging area or maintenance hub.
Huts
• H3 - Look out tower
Lodges
• L1 hotels: Smaller-scale buildings offering alternative room types or packages.
• L2 Adventure Lodge: Focused on active recreation. Base for hiking, biking, snowshoeing, and nature programming.
• L3 Fishing Lodge: Lodging and support facility for fishing experiences on or near the River Philip.
• L4 Cottages: rental cottage enclaves part of dispersed hotel
• WS 1 Wellness Spa: Standalone or attached to hotel. Offers wellness services to both golfers and general visitors.
Houses
• Continuation Housing : Remainder of planned housing is constructed and occupied. ONGOING
Phase 1
Phase 1
Maintenance Shed (1 of 2) Parking (Partial)
Parking (Partial)
Halfway House
Halfway House
Phase 2
Housing Development
Barn 1 - Renovation Pro shop Extension Barn2 - Restaurant
1 Renovation - Pro Shop Expansion
Dining
Social + Dining Space Gym Gold Simulation Dining Deck S3 Maintenance Shed
Corridors
Courtyards
PROGRAM
Program
Clubhouse
The clubhouse for the River Philip Golf Course will be a modest yet dignified structure, deeply rooted in the agrarian landscape of Collingwood Corner. Set on a gentle rise along a bend of the River Philip—a small, meandering waterway known for its trout and salmon—the clubhouse will have panoramic views to the south west across a pastoral landscape of rolling hills and blueberry fields. The surrounding terrain is characterized by its quiet rural beauty, with working farmland and low wooded slopes providing a natural backdrop.
The design will express the region’s architectural vernacular interpretation of local barns and outbuildings. Materiality, siting, and massing will reference the area’s agricultural heritage. The clubhouse will appear as though it has always belonged to the land—simple in form, restrained in detail, and comfortable.
The facility will support both the operational and social functions of the golf course and community, accommodating daily play as well as tournaments, weddings, retreats, and informal gatherings. It will prioritize accessibility, views, and comfort, with a focus on high-quality local materials, clear circulation, and a warm, unpretentious atmosphere.
Maintenance Facility
Located nearby but architecturally cohesive with the clubhouse, the golf course maintenance building will provide equipment storage, workshop facilities, and staff support spaces, laid out for operational efficiency and long-term adaptability.
Housing Development
The River Philip Housing Development comprises approximately 160 private dwellings, located on the south-facing slope above the River Philip Golf Course clubhouse. The development will establish a walkable, cohesive settlement that draws from the agrarian vernacular of the region and celebrates the dramatic south and west views toward the river, the course below, and the surrounding rolling hills and blueberry fields.
Integration with Greater Development
• Clubhouse Synergy:
The housing is visually and physically informed by the clubhouse. Road, material, and planting language will be coordinated to reinforce a sense of collective place.
• Maintenance & Operations:
Access for service vehicles, landscape maintenance, and golf operations will be discretely managed through rear or side lot connections.
• Common Open Spaces:
Pocket greens, river pavilion, trail systems shared look-offs, and unbuilt view corridors will be preserved throughout the site to enhance the public realm.
PHASE 2
PHASE 1
PHASE 3
Program Phases
PHASE 1
HOUSES
Area: ~1000–1,200 SF 2 bedrooms, 1.5–2 baths
Target Price Range: $350,000 – $500,000 (excl. land) Open-plan living /
Target Price Range: $750,000 (excl. land)
Open-concept living areas with large kitchen island
Users: Main-level primary suite
Generous terrace or porch
Flex room for office or den
Features:
Area: 2,400 SF and up 4 bedrooms with ensuite baths
Target Price Range: $1,000,000+ (excl. land)
Site Strategy
Site Strategy
Clubhouse
Design Objectives
• Reinforce a sense of place through vernacular massing, wood structure, and agrarian
• Organize the clubhouse program around a central great room that is both functional and flexible
• Use terraces, porches, and glazed openings to connect indoor spaces with the surrounding landscape
• Provide a clear separation between golf operations and social spaces while maintaining spatial continuity
• Design all facilities to meet or exceed Nova Scotia’s Accessibility Act requirements
• Integrate sustainable building systems and site-sensitive infrastructure
• Establish a cohesive architectural language between clubhouse and adjacent maintenance facilities
Clubhouse
Clubhouse Phasing
Clubhouse Phasing
Golf Cart Drivethrough
Clubhouse Phasing Porch
Clubhouse Phasing Bar and Restaurant Pro Shop Extension
Clubhouse Phasing
Wellness Barn
Golf Cart Drive through
Pro shop
Bar
Porch
Clubhouse Phasing
Golf Cart Drive through
Pro shop
Porch
Clubhouse Phasing
Maintenance Shed
Both clubhouse and maintenance buildings will be located along a shared approach drive, with the clubhouse anchoring the northern slope of the course and opening toward the river. The maintenance shed will be positioned to screen service functions from main visitor circulation while contributing to a “working landscape” atmosphere—read as a sibling structure to the clubhouse in both scale and material language.
The open space between the two buildings may be treated as a communal green or gravel court, suitable for informal gatherings, equipment demos, or seasonal events.
Housing Development
• Settlement Form:
The houses will form a clustered village or village roads set within the slope. Roadways, paths, and view corridors will follow the topography, preserving sightlines and encouraging pedestrian movement.
• Architectural Language: The built form will take cues from local barns, sheds, and saltbox houses. Roof pitches, porches, window proportions, and material palettes will reinforce this continuity.
• Landscape Approach: Native planting, dry-stack stone walls, gravel courts, and minimal grading will tie buildings to the land and preserve existing site character.
• View Optimization: Most lots will accommodate walk-out lower levels, maximizing exposure to light and long views.
• Cohesion: Houses will complement the design language of the clubhouse, maintenance facility, and other site structures through shared forms, finishes, and spatial relationships.
Housing Development
Prototype Summary
The housing program is based on three primary prototype sizes, with flexibility for internal variation. All prototypes are intended to be NetZero-Ready, with options for buyer customization within established design controls.
Program-Wide Elements
• View Preservation: Building heights and roof forms will be controlled to protect neighbouring views.
• Access & Circulation: All homes will be accessed via shared or private drives with logical connection to walking paths, cart access routes, and clubhouse amenities.
• Customisation Policy: Buyers may request custom layout changes within architectural guidelines. Strict covenants will govern allowable exterior modifications to ensure consistency and value protection.
• Servicing: TBD
• Lighting: Night-sky compliant exterior lighting will be standard across all homes.
• Sustainability Features (Baseline):
• Continuous insulation, highperformance glazing
• All-electric HVAC and domestic hot water
• Pre-wired for solar and EV charging
• Rainwater harvesting options
Wildlife Corridors
Trails
Golf, skiing, and seasonal recreation developments typically include a serious trail system and often are described as a nature corridor or wildlife corridor. These corridors overlap with wildlife movement and can connect residential lots, community areas, and recreational zones. The trails can accommodate walking, biking, golf carts, cross country skiing and snowmobiling in winter.
Wildlife corridors maintain habitat continuity. Animals move along routes between feeding, nesting, and breeding areas. Aligning trails with these corridors protects natural movement patterns and reduces road accidents.
Corridors reduce edge effects, support biodiversity, and help control erosion and water flow. Trees, meadows, and natural buffers along trails provide shade, stormwater filtration, and sound reduction. For residents, connection to nature supports walking and biking.
CONCEPTS
Housing Development
Barn Study
Flood Plain Map
Elevation Map
Barn Typologies
Clubhouse Barn
Clubhouse Barn
Maintenance Shed
Maintenance Shed
Pavilions
Nodes of Activity • Hotel
Inn
Spa
Adventure Lodge
Trails and Nodes
“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.”
- Frank Lloyd Wright
PRECEDENTS
Local Precedents
Fort Anne, Annapolis Royal
Lost Boys Cafe, Fernie, BC
Clubhouse & Maintenance
Margaree Barn
Margaree Barn
Hampstead
Mirror Point Barn
Shobac Studio
Hancock Shaker Round Stone Barn
Shobac Round Barn
Housing
Chimney Corner
Bigwin Cabins
Shapiro Germantown
Summit Horizon Neighborhood
Shobac Campus
Schoolhouse
Enough House
Everett House
Agnew House
Margaree Cabins
Lookoff
Ghost 13
Prospect