The Parallelogram House is a spacious bungalow for a young family of four located in the rural municipality of East St. Paul, just north of Winnipeg. Surrounded by typically suburban, stuccoclad dwellings on a quiet bay, the home presents a private, understated face to the street with extensive patio space and full-height glazing opening out over the tree-filled backyard.
While the client preferred a one storey layout, they assumed that their required program would only fit within a two storey home based on the lot size and setback restrictions. By angling the plan into a parallelogram, the increased exterior envelope could accommodate their required program on a single level, facilitating ease of movement throughout the house that is wellsuited for a family with children.
On the exterior, the house is clad in naturally stained vertical wood siding. A wood-clad soffit extends over open patios and screened porches to complete the parallelogram, supported by a series of u-shaped Cor-ten steel columns that screen views into private rooms and evoke the stand of existing trees on the site.
Inside, a floating utility box contains the entry closet, powder room and pantry, allowing the living and circulation space to flow freely around. The main bedroom wing is separated from the living space by a maple screen painted white that extends the geometry of the exterior columns through the house. A simple and muted palette highlights the interior volumes, with a sequence of light wells and skylights drawing daylight from the main floor all the way through to the finished basement.
