A dramatic redevelopment project set on a corner lot in a desirable downtown neighbourhood, this home was designed to take full advantage of views to adjacent parkland. The interior spaces of the home flow out into the yard seamlessly to facilitate indoor/outdoor living. The extensive use of natural materials and an earthtone exterior colour palette softens the modern lines of the home and integrates in into the established community context. Large triple-glazed windows and doors ensure that the interior spaces are washed with sunlight year-round. A rooftop patio at the front of the home offers expansive views to the cityscape and the mountains beyond.
What was the brief?
Design a modern family home that fits seamlessly into an established inner-city neighbourhood. Take full advantage of unique corner lot overlooking adjacent parkland. Give the home a sense of timelessness and permanence.
What were the key challenges?
The key challenge with this project was to reconcile a number of contradictory programmatic requirements: Create a home that was simultaneously modern and family friendly; open to the adjacent green space yet private; modern yet timeless.
What were the solutions?
The layout of home is based upon careful analysis of the clients' family lifestyle and is used to enhance both privacy and integration with surroundings (eg – service spaces are placed where there’s no view). For example, the front of the main floor is generally “public” or “formal” space, back is private living.To keep the open kitchen uncluttered, the hidden Butler’s Pantry and mudroom absorb a lot of the messier aspects of day-to-day life, incorporating lockers, storage, backup fridge and dishwasher, wine cooler, small appliance storage, and a unique Home Organization Station.
Multiple work flows are considered in space planning:
- garage/mudroom/pantry/kitchen
- foyer/home office/formal dining
- Owner’s suite/kids bedrooms/laundry
The floor plan feels very open but is subtly divided into various activity areas using millwork and sight lines. It’s designed to be adaptable as family needs evolve. Additional bedrooms can be created simply by adding walls – no demolition required.
A dramatic roof deck off Owner’s suite allows for a large curtain wall of glass without loss of privacy from the street.
The home is built to an extremely high environmental standard, with in-slab heat, radon evacuation system, tankless hot water, solar-ready electrical system, air barrier, HRV, BASF Eco-tite spray foam insulation, triple-glazed windows
The greatest challenge was balancing the desire to open the house up to adjacent parkland with the desire to maintain privacy in a high-visibility location. This was achieved through careful analysis of sight-lines, by creating physical buffers between windows and sidewalk, through strategically-placed planting, and through the fundamental layout of the home itself.
