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REVELATEUR STUDIO
DOUBLESPACE PHOTOGRAPHY
HOUSES IN CONTEXT
05
CANADIAN ARCHITECT
APRIL 2016
9 NEWS
Canada’s first woman architect identified; RAIC welcomes federal investments in the built environment; Canadian Society of Landscape Architects announces National Awards of Excellence winners.
29 INSITES
Jacob Allderdice examines successful cohousing projects from coast to coast, and argues for the broader use of the typology as an affordable, multi-generational, community-oriented approach.
33 CALENDAR
13 FLOAT A house by Omar Gandhi Architect on the outskirts of Halifax, inspired by bedrock formations surrounding its site. TEXT Benny Kwok
18 THE HAMBLY HOUSE The revamp of an ahead-of-its-time art moderne house in Hamilton, elegantly executed by DPAI Architecture with Toms + McNally Design. TEXT Magdalena Milosz
Dream Home at the Maison de l’Architecture du Québec in Montreal; OAA and AIBC annual conferences in Toronto and Vancouver; Jane’s Walk festival in cities and towns worldwide.
34 BACKPAGE
An solarium addition to a Calgary home was a valuable learning opportunity for emerging firm Studio North, reports Blair Marsden.
22 MODERNEST
STEVEN EVANS PHOTOGRAPHY
A Toronto architect-developer brings contemporary sensibilities and urban savvy to a series of residential infill projects. TEXT Gabriel Fain
COVER The Hambly House, renovation and addition by DPAI Architecture with Toms + McNally Design. Photo by Revelateur Studio.
V.61 N.04 THE NATIONAL REVIEW OF DESIGN AND PRACTICE / THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE RAIC
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CANADIAN ARCHITECT 04/16
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VIEWPOINT
EDITOR ELSA LAM, MRAIC EDITORIAL ADVISOR IAN CHODIKOFF, OAA, FRAIC
Developed by Cohlmeyer Architecture as alternatives to rooming houses, Pocket Suites include eight autonomous units, each with separate entrances. LEFT
Pocket Suites At 20 square metres in size, Mary Lou’s apart ment in downtown Winnipeg is compact, but it’s home. There’s room for her single bed, a bath room with shower, a mini kitchen, a small closet for hanging her clothes, and a tiny table where she likes to paint. She especially likes the paintbynumbers kits from the Dollar Store, which are easy to follow, and affordable on the tight budget of a welfare recipient. Cohlmeyer Architecture designed the build ing where she lives as a pilot initiative to pro vide modestly priced rentals for poor and dis advantaged adults. “Rooming houses have been disappearing in Winnipeg as the market has become stronger,” explains principal Stephen Cohlmeyer, FRAIC. Consulting with social housing groups and the communityatlarge, the firm found they could do better than sim ply replicating rooming houses, whose shared spaces tend to become rowdy party areas. The solution they developed—which they dub Pocket Suites—groups eight selfcon tained units in a single structure with a con temporary residential look. Each unit has its own front door and a big window, facing a long view at either the front or back of the property. Intentionally, there are no shared vestibules, corridors or stairs where residents might encounter neighbours that they don’t get along with. There are two handicapped accessible units in each building. “It’s a geo metric puzzle,” says Cohlmeyer. “What our clients like best is the secure, pri vate door,” says Sue Crielaard, who has helped manage the projects over the past decade since the first one was built. Many of the residents face mental health challenges, and especially appreciate the ability to isolate themselves and to feel secure in their own space. To make the project financially selfsustain ing, construction costs were kept extremely low. The rents—which at about $475 are targeted
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ART DIRECTOR ROY GAIOT CONTRIBUTING EDITORS ANNMARIE ADAMS, FRAIC ODILE HÉNAULT DOUGLAS MACLEOD, NCARB, MRAIC REGIONAL CORRESPONDENTS HALIFAX CHRISTINE MACY, OAA REGINA BERNARD FLAMAN, SAA MONTREAL DAVID THEODORE CALGARY GRAHAM LIVESEY, MRAIC WINNIPEG LISA LANDRUM, MAA, AIA, MRAIC VANCOUVER ADELE WEDER PUBLISHER TOM ARKELL 416-510-6806
to be low enough for those on welfare and the working poor—go towards paying mortgage and maintenance costs. The City of Winnipeg donated small urban lots that had defaulted on property taxes, and the Suites were de signed to fit the narrowest of these. Each site plan also squeezes in four parking spaces, meeting zoning requirements and generating additional revenue. Cohlmeyer Architecture has built four Pocket Suites in Winnipeg and one in Regina. The designers have learned from the first ones: they no longer use allinone kitchen units, which were difficult to maintain, and they now install damageproof drywall. The Regina unit also uses a concretetopped woodframed floor that contains infloor heating coils, avoiding the need to replace broken radiators. These hardwearing features provide amenity while helping protect the apartments from their often streettough residents. Other cities across Canada—from Hamilton to Whitehorse—have approached Cohlmeyer to explore building Pocket Suites in their cit ies. And the firm is currently in discussions with a prefab company, which they hope will facilitate spreading the model. The clientele for the projects have few means, and many are coming out of shelters or from jail. The thoughtful design, which makes the most of its small footprint, contributes much towards the liveability of the Pocket Suites. “There’s some units that will always be turn ing over,” says Crielaard. “But there’s also a lot of people who have settled here—it’s affordable, it’s safe, and they like it here.” She adds, “Because of that, we’re going to wind up needing more.”
Elsa Lam
SALES MANAGER FARIA AHMED 416-510-6808 CUSTOMER SERVICE / PRODUCTION LAURA MOFFATT 416-510-6898 CIRCULATION CIRCULATION@CANADIANARCHITECT.COM PRESIDENT OF IQ BUSINESS MEDIA INC. ALEX PAPANOU HEAD OFFICE 80 VALLEYBROOK DRIVE, TORONTO, ON M3B 2S9 TELEPHONE 416-510-6845 E-MAIL elam@canadianarchitect.com WEBSITE www.canadianarchitect.com Canadian Architect is published monthly by iQ Business Media Inc.. The editors have made every reasonable effort to provide accurate and authoritative information, but they assume no liability for the accuracy or completeness of the text, or its fitness for any particular purpose. Subscription Rates Canada: $54.95 plus applicable taxes for one year; $87.95 plus applicable taxes for two years (HST – #81538 0985 RT0001). Price per single copy: $6.95. Students (prepaid with student ID, includes taxes): $27.00 for one year. USA: $105.95 US for one year. All other foreign: $125.95 US per year. Single copy US and foreign: $10.00 US. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Circulation Dept., Canadian Architect, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON Canada M3B 2S9. Postmaster: please forward forms 29B and 67B to 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON Canada M3B 2S9. Printed in Canada. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in part or in full without the consent of the copyright owner. From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: Telephone 1-800-668-2374 E-mail circulation@canadianarchitect.com Mail Circulation, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON Canada M3B 2S9 MEMBER OF THE CANADIAN BUSINESS PRESS MEMBER OF THE ALLIANCE FOR AUDITED MEDIA PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT #43096012 ISSN 1923-3353 (ONLINE) ISSN 0008-2872 (PRINT)
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NEWS
ABOVE Glulam columns and beams create tree-like canopies inside the Curtiss Dining Facility at Canadian Forces Base Borden. The complex includes a dining hall and kitchen, and is one of two prototype facilities recently completed by FABRIQ Architecture and ZAS Architects.
PROJECTS New dining facilities at military base unveiled.
Montrealbased FABRIQ Architecture and Torontobased ZAS Architects have recently collaborated to complete two new dining facili ties at Canadian Forces Base Borden, near Bar rie, Ontario. Each accommodates 1,500 diners per meal. The prototype facilities are designed to provide pleasant, efficient and endur ing buildings with plenty of natural light and optimized interior traffic f lows. The exterior forms are orthogonal, streamlined and under stated to fit in with the existing built environ ment at the base. In contrast, interiors fea ture dramatic treelike glulam columns and beams, in reference to the pine forests that once dominated the area. These structural ele ments, along with the sweeping views of the natural surroundings provided by floortoceil ing curtain walls, aim to provide diners with a comfortable, peaceful environment for meals—all the better to appreciate the respite in their otherwise gruelling schedules. www.fabriq.com
Design team announced for Artscape Launchpad on Toronto’s waterfront.
component of the Daniels Waterfront City of the Arts complex in Toronto’s burgeoning East Bayfront, it aims to provide art and design professionals with the tools, resources, training and mentorship to build successful careers rooted in sustainable businesses. Artscape Launchpad members will gain access to a multidisciplinary coworking environment full of equipment and technology, as well as a suite of programs and services to help them grow their incomes and launch new ven tures. The facility is scheduled to open in 2018. www.torontoartscape.org
Competition opens to design Stanley Cup monument.
The Stanley Cup, one of the world’s best known sports trophies, was originally gifted to the game of hockey by Canada’s sixth gov ernor general, Lord Stanley of Preston, in 1892. To commemorate its 125th anniversary, Canadian design teams are invited to enter a national competition to create a monument celebrating Lord Stanley’s Gift, the Stanley Cup. The twophase public art competition is open to Canadian artists and designers (either citizens or permanent residents). The deadline for the submission of design team qualifications is May 13, 2016. www.lordstanleysgift.com
Artscape, a notforprofit urban development organization, has selected the design team for its new artsfocused entrepreneurship facil ity, Artscape Launchpad. RAW Design with Rafael + Bigauskas Architects will be design ing the Daniels City of the Arts building in which the facility is housed, while Quad rangle Architects will be designing the interior for the 2,800squaremetre Launchpad space. Artscape Launchpad is a new model of creative space: part incubator, part coworking facility and part entrepreneurship centre. As a key
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AWARDS National Landscape Awards winners announced.
The Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA) has announced the winners of its 2016 National Awards of Excellence. The recipient of the Jury’s Award of Excellence is Lans downe Park in Ottawa, by PFS Studio. In the category of public landscapes, a National Award
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NEWS was given to the Peace Garden at Nathan Phil lips Square, Toronto City Hall, by PLANT Architect in joint venture with Perkins+Will Canada, with Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Archi tecture and Adrian Blackwell Urban Projects. The West Don Lands, by The Planning Part nership and PFS Studio, also received a National Award. In the planning, analysis and large scale design category, three projects were rec ognized: University of Ottawa Campus Master Plan by Urban Strategies Inc., Technopôle Angus by NIPPaysage, and the masterplan for La Cité administrative de Montréal by Lemay. 230 Sackville in Toronto by Scott Torrance Landscape Architect won an award in the residential landscapes category. In the research and communications category, three publications were recognized: City of Toronto— The Grow More Manual by Forest and Field Landscape Architecture, City of Kitchener— Cultural Heritage Landscapes by The Landplan Collaborative, and YUL/MTL—Paysages en mouvement by Chaire en paysage et environ nement and Chaire UNESCO en paysage et environnement at the Université de Montréal. Finally, an award in the new directions and conceptual work category was given to the Bayview Glen Sustainable Neighbourhood Retrofit Action Plan (SNAP) by Schollen & Company. The awards will be presented at a gala during the CSLA Congress in Winni peg on June 25th, 2016. www.csla-aapc.ca
WHAT’S NEW Canada’s first woman architect identified.
Researcher Robert Hill, FRAIC, editor of the Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada 1800-1950, has identified Alice Charlotte Malhiot (18891968)—who graduated from the University of Alberta Department of Architec ture in 1914—as Canada’s first female archi tect. “Robert Hill’s discovery is significant news because we have always believed the first woman graduate to be Esther Marjorie Hill from the University of Toronto in 1920,” says architectural historian Annmarie Adams, FRAIC, professor at McGill University. “The error comes from the fact that Toronto news papers reported Hill as the first in the country, rather than the first from University of Toron to.” Born in the Frenchspeaking region of eastern Ontario in 1889, Alice Charlotte Malhiot was the daughter of a civil engineer who worked for the railways in western Can ada. The family moved to Calgary sometime in the following decade, and in 1911, Malhiot travelled to Edmonton and enrolled in the new Department of Architecture at the University of Alberta. Her graduation in 1914 was her alded in the local press, which congratulated
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her on becoming “the first woman architect in Canada.” “Malhiot graduating in 1914 is interesting because it is in another era— before World War 1—and also brings Canada more in line with other countries,” says Adams. “In England, the first woman regis tered with the RIBA was in 1898; the Archi tectural Association didn’t take women until 1917. The first woman architecture graduate in the United States was much earlier: Mary L. Page in 1878. Malhiot is still a whole generation after Page, but at least we are a little closer.” Malhiot pursued further studies at the Rhode Island School of Design and spent four years as an apprentice or draftswoman in an architect’s office in Calgary, perhaps between 191923, and likely in a large architectural firm. She married in early 1923, which may have derailed her plans for a career in architec ture, as Hill did not find evidence of her work in architecture past that year. www.dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org
RAIC applauds federal investment in built environment.
The exceptional investments announced in the federal budget in late March give architects the opportunity to shape a built environment that can improve the quality of life of Canadians and effect positive environmental change, says the RAIC. The broad scope of the budget—from the science of climate change to building codes; from the preservation of heritage structures to the creation of future landmarks—provides the raw material to design healthy, safe and sus tainable communities that can reach their full potential in all respects. “It is encouraging to see muchneeded investment in basic infrastructure as well as spaces for education and health care, especially in First Nations communities,” said RAIC President Allan Teramura, FRAIC. “We’re also pleased that the budget recognizes the importance of the building sector in achiev ing Canada’s climate change objectives.” Across Canada, a renewal of places and services, such as public transit, affordable housing, cultural and recreational buildings, childcare centres, familyviolence shelters and environmental infrastructure, carries the potential for a more equitable society and engaged citizenry. The government’s commitment to the design, con struction and rehabilitation of green, climate resilient buildings and infrastructure promises to not only protect the environment but also create jobs, improve health, promote Can adian technology and reap energy savings. “Further development of energy codes is crucial to reducing carbon emissions,” added Mr. Tera mura. “Retrofitting the existing building stock to meet more ambitious energy conservation targets should be a priority for Canada.” www.raic.org
Architecture for Humanity relaunches as the Open Architecture Collaborative.
The 30chapter international organization of volunteer humanitarian designers and architects once affiliated with defunct non profit Architecture for Humanity (AFH) has relaunched as the Open Architecture Collab orative (OAC). After over a year of develop ment following the January 2015 closure of AFH, the Open Architecture Collaborative has determined an ongoing, autonomous identity and governance structure. The Col laborative aims to address two fundamental issues in the built environment: lack of handson community experience for young professionals, and limited access to design services for marginalized communities. With the intention of groundup governance informed by local issues, the OAC hopes to empower local leaders to contribute resources and best practices to a global design network. The organization includes three Canadian chapters: in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. www.openarchcollab.org
Global Citizen: The Architecture of Moshe Safdie opens in Boston.
A major retrospective at the BSA Space in Boston explores the work of international architect Moshe Safdie, FRAIC, winner of the 2015 AIA Gold Medal. Tracing the tra jectory of the internationally renowned archi tect’s more than 50year career, Global Citizen investigates his evolving design philosophy and pioneering contributions to the field of architecture through a presentation of models, drawings, films and photography from more than 30 projects. Curated by Donald Al brecht, in coordination with Safdie Archi tects’ Boston office and local firm NADAAA, the exhibition includes largescale models of built, unbuilt, and inprocess projects from throughout the firm’s history that explore how Safdie’s works combine the social activ ism and advanced technologies of Modernism with profound respect for historic and region al content. “Throughout his career, Moshe has consistently confronted the challenges of urban life with solutions that create liveable spaces, connecting the public to nature and their community,” says Albrecht. “From Habitat 67 to his current work with skyscrap ers around the world, Moshe creates buildings that add to their environment and enhance visitors’ and residents’ experience. Global Citizen demonstrates his diverse portfolio of projects that range vastly in size, scope and purpose, but share his underlying design philosophy to connect the building to its surroundings.” www.architects.org/bsaspace
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UP TO THE BEDROCK OMAR GANDHI / SHAW (DRONE)
A HOUSE IN A SURREAL MARITIME LANDSCAPE NEGOTIATES BETWEEN ITS MASSIVE, STONY SURROUNDINGS AND THE VERSATILITY OF LIGHT-FRAME VERNACULAR BUILDING TECHNIQUES.
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Float, Halifax, Nova Scotia Omar Gandhi Architect Inc. TEXT Benny Kwok PHOTOS Doublespace Photography, unless otherwise noted PROJECT
ARCHITECT
The geological features found in Nova Scotia—along with sweeping Atlantic Ocean and inland views—have long inspired bold contemporary architecture along the Maritime Coast. A particularly dramatic landscape is found in the Purcell’s Cove backlands, near Halifax. Located in the southwest portion of the North West Arm, Purcell’s Cove is a place with a mysterious aura, filled with jagged fields of rocky outcrops and sub crops, remnants of a glacial basin that existed centuries ago. With its hills and valleys hugging inland lakes, the backlands is a popular destination for mountain bikers, who whiz around gigantic sheets of brokenoff rock—called bedrock floats—that have tumbled down the cove. Float, a private residence designed by local architect Omar Gandhi, MRAIC, takes its inspiration from these loose pieces of rock. The 232squaremetre building is placed “off the beaten path,” says Gandhi. It is half a kilometre inland, on a hilltop clearing surrounded by rock outcrops. A decade ago, a forest fire roared through the adjacent area, leaving a ghostly trail through what used to be a densely treed land scape, leading to the hilltop. The sculptural forms of Float’s exposed bedrock surroundings “is the most miraculous thing,” Gandhi recalls. “It seemed the perfect anchor for a house.”
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As if pummelled by the forces of glaciers and fire, the formal mass ing of the home suggests a large boulder that has become severed and has shifted over time into four trapezoidal forms offset from one an other. Designed for a university researcher with two grown children, this volumetric ensemble forms nuanced relationships with the sur rounding geological features. A tall rock edge runs adjacent the ap proach, framing a sheltered, private zone: an ideal spot for a small fire pit and an enclosure for the family dog. The site’s raw, wild landscap ing leads up to a cracklike entrance between the residence’s volumes. Upon entering the home, one becomes immediately aware of a warm glow of light that bleeds into the foyer. Similar to earlier houses by Gandhi, the entrance is a compressed space with a lowered ceiling. This is capped with a fully glazed wall that offers a glimpse of the landscape beyond. The central volume houses spaces for daily living, and is f lanked by two sleeping zones—one above the dining room, the other con taining two bedrooms and an upperstorey loft. In the middle of the twisted linear plan, the living room looks out over a lake, while the dining area comes within a few metres of a threestoreyhigh bedrock outcrop. A similar contrast occurs between the sleeping areas: the master bedroom is exposed to an immense view, while a second bed room has an earthy presence adjacent to massive rocks. The roof ’s jagged profile tracks the irregular rock formations below; the interior volumes underneath reflect these changes in topography. Clerestories pierce through in appropriate zones, like poppedup car
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Situated atop a hill in Purcell’s Cove, Float is surrounded by exposed bedrock and the remnants of a dense forest that was devastated by fire. OPPOSITE, LEFT TO RIGHT An exposed rock face forms a dramatic backdrop for the dining area; the living room enjoys a panoramic view of an inland lake. ABOVE, TOP TO BOTTOM The exterior is clad with gray-washed boards to match the surrounding rocks; the slat-covered garage forms a mysterious presence at the western edge of the house. OPENING SPREAD
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headlights, allowing seams of light into the top of the house during the day. The garage—which doubles as a woodshed—is slightly different in character. Covered with open slats, it becomes a wooden lantern that gently glows throughout the evening. While the house is formally inspired by its geological surroundings, it is also influenced by the vernacular traditions of Maritime building construction. The architectural language is drawn from traditional shed outbuildings, adapted to maximize views and natural light, and shaped to accommodate a hierarchy of spaces. Each trapezoidal volume is a lightwood frame structure, making the house relatively inexpensive to construct by local contractors. To blend in with the bedrock strata, the exterior façade is clad with graywashed, grainy wood. Like the shadows and voids found in the outcrops, panes of black steel and edge toedge glazing intersect with the wood volumes. In contrast, the inter ior material palette is minimalist: white walls and concrete floors are brightened by delicate walnut and coloured lacquer accents.
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At times, Float’s negotiation between the vernacular traditions of Mari time architecture and the jagged landscape of Purcell’s Cove could be more grounded: the house feels like it ricochets between the lightness of the wooden boxes and the heaviness of the bedrock. A stoneclad entrance, for instance, may have helped to pin the boxes more firmly to their surroundings. But in nature, a bedrock f loat has the potential to move, however slowly. Float feels as if it reserves that right, too— although its presence for a long time yet will be appreciated as a reson ant addition amidst the backlands. Benny Kwok is a recent graduate of the Dalhousie University School of Architecture and the winner of a 2014 Moriyama RAIC Student Scholarship. CLIENT DR. MELANIE KELLY | ARCHITECT TEAM OMAR GANDHI, JEFF SHAW, DEVIN HARPER, HAYLEY JOHNSON, OZANA GHERMAN | STRUCTURAL ANDREA DONCASTER ENGINEERING | CONTRACTOR TAMLYN CONSTRUCTION | AREA 232 M2 | BUDGET WITHHELD | COMPLETION SUMMER 2015
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The approach to the house presents a relatively closed façade, in contrast to the expansive lakeside views from within; the son’s loft bedroom looks out over the surroundings. RIGHT, TOP TO BOTTOM The entrance foyer is capped by a floor-to-ceiling window that gives a glimpse of the landscape views visible from the house’s living spaces; the entrance is slipped into the centre of the plan, between two trapezoidal volumes. OPPOSITE, TOP TO BOTTOM
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A SENSITIVE ADDITION BRINGS AN ART MODERNE HOUSE IN HAMILTON UP TO SPEED FOR CONTEMPORARY LIVING. The Hambly House, Hamilton, Ontario DPAI Architecture Inc. with Toms + McNally Design TEXT Magdalena Milosz PHOTOS Revelateur Studio PROJECT
ARCHITECTS
BELOW A second-floor addition introduces a subtle curve that wraps around a sun room. OPPOSITE The home’s art moderne features were carefully restored, including the smooth exterior finish, cobalt blue window frames, and stylized door surround.
Nestled amongst the 1920s homes of Westdale, a leafy neighbourhood in Hamilton, Ontario, is an outlier with a storied past. Hambly House, whose sweeping white form rounds a street corner not far from the Coot es Paradise wetland, seems to sail past the halftimbering, fauxstone cladding, and steeply pitched roofs of its neighbours. The streamline moderne gem, a rare example of the style in Ontario, was built in 1939 by local architect Edward Glass and named for its first owner, Jack Hambly. It recently received a thoughtful secondstorey and rear addition by Hamilton firms DPAI and Toms + McNally Design. Owners Tina Fetner and Lane Dunlop purchased the home in the summer of 2013. It had previously undergone some restoration efforts (it was listed in Hamilton’s Cultural Heritage Register in 2011), but had since deteriorated due to lack of maintenance after the previous owner moved overseas. The renovation therefore included significant repair work, such as replacing the original stucco cladding with synthetic EIFS, a material that DPAI architect David Premi, MRAIC, says was actually appropriate in this context. Inside, most interior walls were demolished, a move enabled by pin wheeling steel beams off a central column. “We stripped it right down to the bones,” says Premi; the strategy brought the house up to speed for contemporary living. “People get nostalgic about old houses and the little rooms,” he continues, but the owners wanted to “open it all up,” flooding the space with light. Heat loss is counteracted by the new exterior insulation and doubleglazed windows, which replicate the ori ginals with their horizontal muntins and brilliant blue exterior finish. The house is zoned with two furnaces, one for the basement and ground floor, the other for the second floor, saving on overall energy use. The living room retains much of its character, with roseandthistle plasterwork on the ceiling, original trim, and art deco builtins on either side of the fireplace. Two of the three bedrooms on the ground f loor remain, while the third was converted into a mudroom.
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ABOVE The home’s original partitions were removed to open up the kitchen as the ground floor’s focal point. Retro-inspired appliances from Elmira Stove Works underscore the home’s streamlined aesthetic. OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP The second floor family room opens onto an outdoor terrace and enjoys treetop views of the surrounding neighbourhood; a Manitoba maple frames the rear of the renovated residence; original built-in millwork and plasterwork ceiling details were preserved.
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“The kitchen is the focal point of the main f loor, and it all works great,” says owner Lane Dunlop. The centrally located space includes locally fabricated millwork, a large island, and retroinspired, tur quoise appliances by Elmira Stove Works. It faces both the living room and the dining room—the latter situated in the glassencased rear addition, overlooking a colossal Manitoba maple that forms a can opy above the backyard. The expansiveness of the ground floor is magnified upstairs, with a curved glass façade that gives a panoramic prospect of the surrounding neighbourhood—a view which residents of nearby Tudor Revival homes only see through smaller windows. The family room and the master bedroom share this sweeping vista, with motorized curtains that can be activated for privacy. Looking out towards the backyard, the ensuite bath has something of the feeling of a treehouse. From the street, the secondstorey addition appears to be having an amiable conversation with the existing structure, rather than attempt ing to say the same thing, or diverging too sharply in point of view. “We tried to stick with the original spirit of the house,” says Dunlop, and in this sense the project is very much a success. The rear elevation is a balanced composition of stucco, glazing and concrete panels. At the front, the glass curtain wall steps back above the whitefinished curve to provide an ample roof terrace. The key characteristics of the original art moderne style—the rounded corner, horizontal lines, a prominent
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door surround, and a porthole window formerly enclosed in a closet— have all been enhanced through the restoration. The nationalparkrus tic style of the basement, made to resemble a log cabin, is an incongru ous quirk that the owners decided to keep as well. The original house is a rare, and early, example of both styles in Ontario. Westdale was a curiously conservative context for Hambly House at the time it was built. One of Canada’s first planned communities, it originally excluded all but white Protestants—blacks, Asians, Eastern Europeans and Jews were not permitted to buy houses there. Over time, the restric tions were lifted, but it serves us well to remember these types of diffi cult histories embedded within our built environments. This project provides a perfect opportunity to continue the conversation. Shortly after construction concluded at the end of 2015, Fetner and Dunlop held a community open house. Locals came in droves, having witnessed the progress of the transformation over more than two years.
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The project has received ongoing attention from curious passersby and international media alike, and was honoured with a 2015 Award of Excellence in Architecture from the City of Hamilton. It seems fitting that a forwardlooking house in a neighbourhood that once resisted diversity has had its doors thrown open to all. As a private residence that has galvanized the local community, and as a heritage building fitted to its inhabitants’ contemporary needs, Hambly House is a model for highly successful architectural interventions that help propel the past into a more open and sustainable future. Magdalena Milosz is a writer and intern architect based in Kitchener, Ontario. CLIENTS LANE DUNLOP AND TINA FETNER | ARCHITECT TEAM DPAI—PETRA MATAR, MOLLY MERRIMAN, DAVID PREMI. TOMS + MCNALLY—PHILIP TOMS. | STRUCTURAL VRM ENGINEERING | LANDSCAPE IAN MCGREGOR POOLS AND LANDSCAPING | CONTRACTOR JAMES VAN AMERONGEN | AREA 1,250 FT 2 (ADDITION) AND 1,200 FT 2 (RENOVATION) | BUDGET WITHHELD | COMPLETION FALL 2015
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MODERNest homes are clad with alternating horizontal and vertical pine panels, here adapted to House 4’s narrow, tall elevation. ABOVE, LEFT In House 4, the kitchen is located at the centre of the plan, making it a gathering spot for Clarkson’s young family; the rear of House 1 features full-height glazing that connects the patio to the living areas.
OPPOSITE TO RIGHT
FEATHERED NESTS A BOUTIQUE ARCHITECT-DEVELOPER HAS CARVED OUT A NICHE IN BUILDING DESIGN-LED, MODERN-STYLED HOMES ON IRREGULARLY SHAPED TORONTO INFILL SITES. PROJECT
MODERNest Houses 1-4, Toronto, Ontario
Kyra Clarkson Architect TEXT Gabriel Fain PHOTOS Steven Evans Photography, unless otherwise noted ARCHITECT
Over the past decade, Toronto has experienced an incredible housing boom fuelled by millennials investing in the downtown real estate market. As condo units become smaller and home renovations too complicated, an increasing number of young families with financial means have opted for new builds on infill sites located in wellestablished neighbourhoods. Situating itself within this context is the company MODERNest—led by architect Kyra Clarkson with the support of her partner, planner Christopher Glaisek. Clarkson and Glaisek have so far built four excep tionally crafted houses. Moreover, they’ve also explored the potential for a new type of architectural practice and development model, and pushed the boundaries of the typical Toronto house.
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MODERNest is unusual in Toronto in that it’s a hybrid between a development and architecture firm. Clarkson started the company after noticing the limited choices in the market for contemporary homes. The idea, she says, is to provide completed houses for buyers “without the time, budget or inclination to commission a customdesigned home.” MODERNest eliminates what is often considered the stressful process of purchasing and financing a property, hiring an architect and contract or, and negotiating with the building and planning departments. Rather than simply working at the service of clients, where much time is often spent debating the smallest design decision, Clarkson and Glaisek offer a final product that is the result of their own careful understanding of infill site conditions. As designers, they can see unexpected potential in difficult sites that other developers have overlooked. Take House 2, located in the King West neighbourhood. It’s squeezed between cen turyold row houses, such that both the siting and access required careful planning on a narrow, irregularly shaped lot. By taking advantage of the narrow rear access, the design team created an intimate urban garden
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A rooftop patio adjoins the master bedroom of House 4. OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP A vocabulary of repeatable elements was established in House 1, including open-riser stairs flanked by a glass wall; a custom, modular bookcase system enlivens the second floor of House 2; a secret garden was carved out in the rear of House 2’s awkwardly shaped site.
ABOVE
between the house and the required parking space. Waiting for those diamondintherough sites to arise can be chancy, so MODERNest has actively sought awkward infill lots in traditional neighbourhoods—even going so far as knocking on doors to find potential house sellers. House 3, located near Trinity Bellwoods Park on Robinson Street, was developed in exactly this way. Clarkson found a semidetached house on a wideyetshallow lot, and made an offer to purchase it. By negotiating with the attached neighbour, she was able to reconstruct the party wall, and site the house in a manner that both contrasts and complements the existing street fabric. The site offered the additional possibility to create something quite rare in Toronto— a side yard façade, with large openings facing a fenced courtyard. Developing, especially at a small scale, is of course not easy. Even though interest rates are relatively low, the high price of land, taxes, development charges and permit fees makes a good return on invest ment a rare feat. Clarkson and Glaisek took enormous financial risks to complete House 1—a narrow 1,250squarefoot house located in Les lieville—in 2012. Although they did break even, more importantly, they were able to use the project to establish an easily replicable design lan guage, which could be adapted to any given site. With their minimalist yet warm design aesthetic, the four built hous es present a stark contrast to the neotraditional builderhomes that have become all too common in the city, characterized by a collage of incoher ent stylistic elements. MODERNest houses demonstrate a clarity and consistency that is the result of serious design thinking, and of working closely with contractor Collaborative Ventures. Each of the four houses
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is clad in blackstained pine boards oriented in alternating vertical and horizontal patterns. Black aluminum siding is used where limiting distances prohibit the use of wood. The façades are further articulated with areas carved away to form deep entrances, overhangs over decks, and operable windows, all clad in Douglas fir. Simple landscaping features such as grasses and permeable pavers complement the muted exterior palette. Clarkson worked for many years with Tod Williams Billie Tsien in New York and later with local luminaries ShimSutcliffe, and has carried the lessons of precise detailing into her interior spaces. The open and f lexible f loor plan of House 4, which currently doubles as Clarkson’s family home and office, synthesizes many of the features of the previous projects. Here, small details make the spaces generally feel light and airy: there are no bulkheads, doors and windows go all the way to the ceiling, skylights bring in light above openriser stairs, and large sliding doors open to the exterior courtyard. The houses have given Clarkson and her team the opportunity to ex plore the latent potential of the usually unvaried Toronto house typology, characterized by long and narrow plans with circulation at one side and most of the windows at the front and rear. Although the plan layout of their houses is almost a given, the location of key elements, such as the kitchen, can be customized to create varied experiences. In Houses 2 and 3, the kitchen is located at the front so as to connect the inhabitants with street life. In House 4, it’s directly in the centre of the main floor, acting as a focal point for a family with young children. Perhaps most signifi cant is the way each house is able to create a dialogue with the context.
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A skylit master bathroom is a luxurious touch in House 3; an unusually wide, short site allowed for a side yard in House 3; like all of the houses in the MODERNest series, House 4 includes a skylight over the main stair.
COUNTERCLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE
Whether it is the strategic framing of the adjacent midcentury homes in House 3 or the sweeping city view from the roof deck of House 4, each house creates a heightened awareness of its place in the inner core. As I toured the houses this spring, I couldn’t help wondering: why aren’t other architects following suit? A simple design formula, combined with designdriven business decisions and excellent craftsmanship, produ ces great value. Toronto architects have been slow to keep up with the pace of the hyperinflated housing market, where innovation and design thinking have generally been sidelined in favour of speed and profit. By gaining agency, firms such as MODERNest are able to take an active role in the realestate market, rather than reacting to it. It will be interest ing to see how the MODERNest initiative evolves, and whether a similar approach could be applied to larger scale developments, such as town houses or even midrise buildings. The demand for a modern lifestyle in the heart of the city is certainly not slowing down anytime soon. Gabriel Fain is an architect working in Toronto.
CLIENT MODERNEST INC. | ARCHITECT TEAM KYRA CLARKSON, CHRISTOPHER GLAISEK, ALLISON
BOYES (HOUSES 2-4), SHEILA MATHIES (HOUSES 2-4) | STRUCTURAL BLACKWELL ENGINEERS | MECH-
ANICAL FULFORD SUPPLY | LANDSCAPE ELISE SHELLEY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT | INTERIORS KYRA
CLARKSON ARCHITECT | CONTRACTOR COLLABORATIVE VENTURES INC. | AREA 1,250 FT 2 (HOUSE 1); 2,500 FT 2 (HOUSE 2); 1,500 FT 2 (HOUSE 3); 2,600 FT 2 (HOUSE 4) | BUDGET $800,000 (HOUSE 1); WITHHELD (HOUSES 2-4) | COMPLETION SUMMER 2012 (HOUSE 1); SPRING 2014 (HOUSE 2); SUMMER 2014 (HOUSE 3); WINTER 2015 (HOUSE 4)
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THE COHOUSING OPTION TEXT
Jacob Allderdice
A LITTLE-KNOWN HOUSING TYPOLOGY FOSTERS VILLAGE-LIKE COMMUNITIES, WITH COOPERATIVE FACILITIES FOR PREPARING MEALS, SHARING TOOLS AND HOSTING SOCIAL EVENTS.
Architecture has a positive effect on society—or so architects would like to think. But often, in focusing on the Vitruvian ideals of firm ness, commodity and delight, the social realm is left aside. Some designers are putting architecture’s social potential front and cen tre through a littleknown housing type: cohousing. Russell Mawby, for mer director of housing for Ottawa and founder of the Canadian Cohous ing Network, has gone so far as to ask, “Can cohousing save the world?” In its essence, cohousing creates a form of shared property ownership among a small group of individuals and families. The single element that distinguishes cohousing from other forms of multiunit residential buildings, or developments like cottage communities, is the presence of a physical Commons. The Commons is a significantly scaled building where meals are prepared in joint, tools and equipment are stored for bor rowing, guestrooms are available for rent, and classes and social events are
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ABOVE Cohabitat in Quebec City, by Tergos with Mainguy Verge Architectes, groups apartments and townhomes around a communal courtyard. A building with shared dining, childcare, and other amenities completes the quadrangle.
scheduled. To paraphrase Mawby, “Why pay for 30 lawnmowers, when a single one, shared among 30 families, can clip grass more efficiently?” Beyond the Commons, cohousing is planned in ways that emphasize opportunities to make contact with fellow inhabitants—from containing communal gardens to including housing for multigenerational families. A 1967 article by Danish writer Bodil Graae, entitled “Children Should Have One Hundred Parents,” is often cited as a spark for the movement. Many of us will find Graae’s concept familiar: current U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton brought it to the fore in the 1990s, when her book title invoked the African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” In Denmark, where it originated (and where today it is a common form of development), cohousing is called bofællesskab—literally, “living com munity.” American architects Chuck Durrett and Kathryn McCamant are credited with introducing the typology to North America in the 1980s.
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Their Muir Commons, in Davis, California (1991), is considered the con tinent’s first cohousing community. Since then, the duo has completed 30 North American cohousing projects, including three in Canada: one in Calgary, Alberta, and others in Victoria and Langley, BC. Durrett is a prolific author, and he tours the continent giving work shops and presentations that have been influential in many of this coun try’s cohousing projects. One such project is in its infancy in St Philip’s, Newfoundland—a former outport an hour’s drive from St. John’s. There, Wendy Reid Fairhurst, an interior designer who speaks of her interest in “humancentred design,” has gathered a small group of young families who are seeking ways to live more sustainably and in closer community, with an emphasis on affordability. She hopes to bring Durrett to speak to her group this summer. Her group has identified a hundredacre farm that may be available for sale nearby. The town wishes to encourage agricultural development, so it may accept a cluster of homes—that leaves the majority of the land open for farming—as a preferable form of development to the typical suburban sprawl that most developers (and town councillors) know all too well. Interest in cohousing is growing from Newfoundland and Labrador to British Columbia. But where are the Canadian architects with expertise in the group facilitation, consensus building, and other skills that design ing cohousing requires? Arguably, ignorance of the cohousing model should be as egregious an admission for an architect as not knowing what a con dominium or an apartment building is. However, with only 12 complete projects registered in the Canadian Cohousing Network’s directory, the movement has slipped under the radar of many. Elsewhere, the Fellowship for Intentional Community includes “ecovillages” and other forms of col laborative living arrangements, and lists 55 established communities in Canada. These numbers are very small, any way you look at them. The fact is that the difficulties faced by groups trying to raise money to share dwellings are of several orders of magnitude higher than those of people pooling resources to purchase a lawnmower. While Canadian
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banks and mortgage lenders recognize coops, condominiums and apartment buildings, they have a hard time grappling with collaborative housing. What happens when a member decides to sell and move away? What happens if a member defaults on a loan? Cohousing proponents have answers to these questions, but legal stat utes make it harder in some parts of the country than in others to build coowned dwellings. Most cohousing developments are in British Col umbia and Alberta, but not, as one might assume, because the folks on the left coast are better at sharing. Instead, as Russell Mawby explains, “BC and Alberta regulate cohousing under the Strata titles act, which is more flexible about the legal definition of shared space.” Else where in Canada, cohousing is governed by condominium law, which, according to Mawby, forces the separation of units and thus complicates the development of cohousing. Quebec is the exception, as it allows for coproperty rights. The Fellowship for Intentional Communities lists 20 projects in Que bec. One of them is Quebec City’s Cohabitat, which bills itself as Que bec’s “first cohousing community.” Completed in 2013, it was honoured in Quebec City’s urban and architectural awards program, and nominated for the OAQ’s provincial architectural prizes. The scheme consists of 42 units in five buildings, four of them new construction. Designed by Tergos Architecture et Construction Écologique with Mainguy Verge Architectes, the project achieved a LEED Platinum rating and, according to Tergos architect Bruno Verge, cost a mere $127 per square foot to build. The Cohabitat project benefitted from seed funding from the CMHC to help with the soft costs of getting the development underway, a model Fairhurst hopes to emulate in her Newfoundland proposal. What makes the Cohabitat project stand out among many other affordable developments is its emphasis on multigenerational living, its attention to “healthy” design principles, and its strong sense of style. As in all cohousing projects, the people who live in it were the developers, and worked directly with the architects.
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IAN NIAMATH
IAN NIAMATH
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A sheltered, open-air stairway provides access to the individual housing units; the courtyard includes outdoor eating, play and gardening areas. ABOVE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Bordering a river, the Pacific Gardens Cohousing development in Nanaimo includes a mix of two and three-storey volumes to accommodate the sloping site; kitchens from the variously sized units overlook an internal street with a sawtooth skylight roof above and glazed garage doors at the ends; a mix of bold colours and variations in detailing break up the building’s mass.
Architects attending the RAIC Festival of Architecture in June will have the opportunity to see another excellent example of cohousing in Nanaimo’s Pacific Gardens Cohousing, completed in 2009. The complex was designed by architect Jolyon Brown, MRAIC, with Ian Niamath, MRAIC, as architect of record. The development includes 25 townhouse-style units opening off a fully conditioned central spine, with a 8,000-square-foot common house integrated into the complex. “We built at the edge of a former fourand-a-half-acre farm with apple trees and good soil, which gave us the name, Pacific Gardens,” says Brown. “It also gave the owners wonderful land for gardening, of course.” The project’s geothermal and rooftop solar units earned it an energy conservation award from the city of Nanaimo, which has also awarded its overall design. Speak to anyone who lives in cohousing and you will find a variety of reasons for their choice. Some hope to place a smaller footprint on the
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IAN NIAMATH
OPPOSITE, LEFT TO RIGHT
earth. Some hope to experience comfort and companionship in their old age, or a multi-generational table to share a meal at. Some seek affordability. Common to all, however, is the deep-seated memory of a “village”: a desire for community, for a stronger connection to fellow inhabitants of this shared planet. The fact is, many people in modern society live in lonely isolation. How many of us today, with our economic nomadism, our commodified lifestyles, and our alienation from power, could be said to be lacking connections to others? In a society structured around private property, cohousing is a radical response: a return to village-like communities with shared resources. It’s a model with exciting possibilities—both for architects and for society at large—that deserves serious consideration. Jacob Allderdice is an architect, educator and writer who currently lives in Toronto.
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Tall Building Imports and Acquisitions April 13, 2016
This panel discussion, including speakers Marc Simmons of Front and Kevin Stelzer, MRAIC, of B+H, explores how imported tech nologies and construction meth ods are helping unlock value in new Toronto highrises. www.ctbuh.org
CanBIM Research Innovation & Leadership seminar April 13, 2016
This series of presentations at Al gonquin College in Ottawa exam ines how local leaders are advan cing processes in the design, build, and asset management sectors. www.canbim.com
Architecture+Design Film Festival April 13-17, 2016
Now in its fifth year, this Winni peg festival presents critically acclaimed films focusing on the importance of architecture and design in everyday life. www.adff.ca
Dream Home
Jane’s Walk
Banff Session 2016
Until April 17, 2016
May 6-8, 2016
May 12-14, 2016
Models and drawings from a ser ies of workshops in indigenous communities are on display at the Maison de l’Architecture du Qué bec in Montreal. www.maisondelarchitecture.ca
Trees in the Public Realm
This annual global festival of free, locally organized walking tours includes architecture and urban ismfocused strolls in many cities across Canada, from Kamloops and Vancouver, BC, to Halifax and Sydney, NS. www.janeswalk.org
April 22, 2016
www.banffsession.ca
This Toronto seminar looks at the challenges trees face in the city— from competing urban realm pri orities to environmental and polit ical threats. www.canurb.org
Is This the City We Want? April 25, 2016
The culmination of a fourpart series, this panel on the state of conservation in Toronto includes architects Robert Allsopp and Kim Storey, MRAIC; writers Alex Bozikovic, Dave LeBlanc and Jamie Bradburn; and Mary MacDonald, manager of Heritage Preservation Services with the City of Toronto. www.acotoronto.ca
The biennial conference hosted by the Alberta Association of Archi tects marks its 60th anniversary with the theme of Convergence. Keynote speakers include Brigitte Shim and Howard Sutcliffe, FRAIC, and Angela Ferguson of Australian firm futurespace.
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CALENDAR
OAA annual conference May 11-13, 2016
This year’s conference, held in Toronto, explores how the value of architects and of architecture can be more effectively communi cated to clients and to the public. Includes a keynote lecture by architecture critic and Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Goldberger. www.oaa.on.ca
AIBC annual conference May 16-18, 2016
This year’s Architectural Institute of British Columbia conference in Vancouver focuses on building resilient cities and communities. Includes a keynote talk by environ mental law and policy expert David Boyd. ac2016.aibc.ca
Ontario Heritage conference
Grey to Green conference
May 12-14, 2016
June 1-4, 2016
www.ontarioheritageconference.ca
www.greytogreenconference.org
This event in Stratford and St. Marys focuses on new approaches to building commun ities while preserving heritage and cultural values.
Over 50 technical presentations will cover subjects ranging from best practices in lifecycle cost and benefit analysis, to the latest research on green infrastructure.
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BACKPAGE
HOME AWAY FROM HOME TEXT
Blair Marsden Studio North
PHOTO
A YOUNG CALGARY FIRM TRANSFORMS A MID-CENTURY BUNGALOW INTO A THREE-UNIT DWELLING WITH A VIBRANT CENTRAL SOLARIUM.
When you meet the two principals of Calgary based designbuild firm Studio North, it is immediately apparent that they love what they do. Matthew Kennedy and Mark Erickson are committed to studio practice in ways that many would find daunting. Like many younger prac titioners, they’re not afraid to get their hands dirty: to practice, they believe, is to simultan eously create. Engagement in practice is a dir ect means through which to flush out or frame an idea. Practice is not the mere repetition of something already encoded; there is an ele ment of discovery in the doing. One of the duo’s favourite projects to date is a series of additions to a bungalow in the innercity neighbourhood of Albert Park. The firm was graced with a remarkable client as a catalyst—a worldly, 21st century polymath who wanted to adapt his existing 1950s house so that friends, family and work colleagues could visit and sojourn for short periods of time. To this end, Studio North gradually reconfigured and renovated the main floor, basement and garage to create three discrete, compact dwellings
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that share a common solarium and courtyard. On the surface, the project is deceptively modest. The centrepiece is the solarium, which includes a terraced deck and integrated plant ers, filled with lowmaintenance plants that can withstand the erratic watering that results from the client’s shifting schedule. A translucent polycarbonate cladding stretches across the walls and ceiling, inviting in diffuse daylight. Adding to the warmth in the winter, a fireplace at the entrance is framed by charred cedar planks. Pebbled areas blur the distinction between indoors and out. It is easy to take in and makes one feel instantly good. Named Homeway, the project is one of Ken nedy and Erickson’s first buildingscale com missions. They see it as a formative gift for their young firm. It allowed them to incubate, recognize and craft fundamental ideas of their studio practice. Working with a sense of mind fulness, they uncovered something profoundly germane and pleasurable in the doing of good work. The project also allowed for them to understand and recognize patterns in how they
ABOVE A structural wood lattice wraps a solarium addition to a Calgary home. Designed to provide year-round warmth, the space includes a built-in fireplace, tiered seating and low-maintenance plants.
work best—in particular, they realized the power of substantive client involvement through dialogue. A long series of conversa tions resulted in the playful column and ceil ing beam pattern, based on plant veining— a design that has an inherent structural logic. Having a client who was highly engaged in the design and who participated in the build made a huge difference. There was both tacit and explicit collaboration built into the project at every level. While Homeaway was officially completed last summer, the work is still very much in progress. The client and the principals visit regularly, discussing how areas might be tweaked or improved. Kennedy and Erickson have struck a chord with their process and prac tice at Homeaway. Like the life that springs forth out of the solarium, they have germinated a way of doing things. Blair Marsden is an architectural technology instructor currently involved in redeveloping the curriculum and pedagogy at SAIT Polytechnic.
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