I like his minimal approach with the houses he designs in Nova Scotia.  Both the Messenger House II and Howard House are not these monumental glorious structures, but these simple quiet structures that address very well the climate and landscape that they are in.  His philosophy on democratic architecture – architecture for the people – is expressed in the simplicity of his forms.  Anyone, from the uneducated to students of architecture, understand the building and can bring their own meaning into it.

Messenger House II

Howard House – Framed view of the landscape

Howard House – A quiet structure on the landscape

I think his Ghost projects are very interesting in that they teach students literally how to build from the ground up.  He brings back the idea of the master builder, a person who does both the design and the construction their project.  A concept that is now lost with all the technology and media, and all the overwhelming varieties of materials, construction types and forms.  He gives his students a design problem and a limited amount of materials that are typical in the region and they build simple modern structures that address the vernacular characteristics of the region.  It would be interesting to see a similar workshop but in a different site or different country.  The materials and building techniques would change depending on the region.