The project is located in a inner city neighbourhood, where house tend to be built close to the property lines. Issues of privacy, exterior courtyards and available sunlight were explored as a way of informing the development of houses by balancing the request for openness and the limitations of due to proximity and fire codes.
The courtyard plays a central role in the residence, allowing generous amounts of daylight deep into the plan. The entrance expands into a bar of circulation and amenities that conceptually ‘anchor’ the house.
A second wrapper folds over this bar to create large multi-use spaces with views to downtown, and a focused view of the courtyard. The flexible plan has the potential to evolve over time as the client’s needs change.
Cedar was chosen as the cladding as it provides inherent warmth from is texture and color, but also due to its plasticity to be easily manipulated to realize the formal aspirations of the design.
Wood can transform from surface to screen to canopy with minimal interface challenges. Using a singular material for all of these different elements reinforced the notion of a continuous ‘wrapper’ that was tuned to specific programming within the house.
Material Used:
1. Facade cladding: Red Cedar Stained
2. Flooring: Ardesia Cenere La Fabbrica
3. Doors: Aluminum, Sliding Glass, NuAir
4. Windows: Douglas Fir, Loewen Windows
5. Appliances Architect Series 2, Kitchen Aid
6. Interior lighting: Recessed Pot lights, 7000, Sistemalux
7. Skylight Skylight, FCM Comfort Plus, Velux
8. Hardware Curtain Track, G-Rail, Goeist
9. Bathroom Ensuite, Origami 6636, Bain Ultra
10. Bathroom Bath, AC180, Hytec
11. Fixtures Newtech, La Torre Rubinetteria
