Bold and direct, this new residential build integrates with the property’s lush greenery, taking design cues from the neighbourhood’s unusual typologies and ranch-style Mansard roofs.
Located just north of Toronto, Kings Cross is an idyllic rural community with rolling streets and architecturally distinct houses dating back to the 1960s. House in Kings Cross is a new build whose style is thoroughly modern in both design and performance. Nestled into the landscape, the house occupies the footprint of a previous home to minimize ecological disruption and emphasize a deep connection to nature.
The oversized Mansard-style roof is the home’s most distinguishing feature. Reminiscent of a traditional stone roof, it behaves as a privacy screen from the street; the front and north-sloped façades are designed to be a folding plane that opens up at various levels towards the extensive ravine below. The interior design emphasizes space, form, light, and a connection to the natural world while providing varied experiences unique to each space.
The materials, chosen for their natural properties and ability to endure the regional climate, reinforce the ethereal quality of the home. The main façades are clad in triple-layered slate, supported by stainless steel clips — a system that can last up to 100 years — complemented by wood-framed windows. The unblemished white interiors create fields to catch light. Stone, glass, and wood finishes add warmth and provide a neutral stage from which to view the changing seasonal colours.
The house features VOC-free materials and embraces passive-first strategies: the siting optimizes its orientation vis-à-vis solar mitigation, maximized daylight, and passive ventilation. Radiant flooring, geothermal heating and cooling, and photovoltaic technologies further reduce the home’s dependency on non-renewable energy sources. With a remarkable Energy Efficiency Rating of 80, House in Kings Cross achieved an Energy Star rating and surpassed R2000 requirements.
