The edge where water meets land is a special place in Ontario’s lakeside communities, as it has been for over 150 years for the community of Rosseau. Plans to transform the aging Muskoka Lakes Marine are an opportunity to celebrate the beauty of Lake Rosseau’s shoreline and its rich history, while increasing the community’s public amenities and reconnecting Lake Rousseau to its town. New Marine facilities will not only better provide the current services expected by the local boating community, this project will contribute the space and excitement for new public activities that will become destinations in and of themselves.  For example, a second-story restaurant overlooking the water will offer a one-of-a-kind lakeside dining experience. The organization of the replacement building will also include a framework supporting new opportunities for seasonal retail. Existing activities on site, such as the summer farmers market, will be enhanced by the addition of new infrastructure. The proposed design also reveals the potential of the Marine site to organize and animate a new public space system. A boardwalk will be introduced linking the shoreline with an accessible route through the Marine and into town where the General Store, antique shops and art galleries wait to be explored.

Contemporary in design, the construction materials have been selected considering a respect for the texture and scale of traditional building techniques at Lake Rosseau. In detail, form and spaces, the renewed Muskoka Lakes Marine is a celebration of both local and cottage life.