Growing Out of a Cracked Stone

Courtyard Housing

Dowling | Sudbury, Canada

This housing project is inspired by northern Ontarios rocky environment. Dowling has a strong connection with minerals. The area, created by a meteor strike, left the land with a unique topography populated by many exposed rocks. Between these rocks nature has flourished.

To maximise the amount of houses I could include on the lot I based my tessellation on a series of layers similar to the layering of sediments. The courtyards are created by a fracture forming across the massing. The ondulation of the fissure creates privacy between units but also allows interaction.

The unit plans are based on the geode. A stone with a beautifully gemed interior. The houses seem to be entities that have been cut and split apart. To vehiculate this image I designed the exterior with solid walls and the walls facing onto the courtyard are fully glassed. Some houses include bridges or extrusion to give the impression that the two pieces could have been connected before. In the single unit home the master bedroom is separated by a bridge. The separation creates an intimate cocoon space. The glassed courtyards positioned in the middle of the house create a strong connection with nature. The nature creates a natural filter to allow the two sides of the house to hold different functions.

My proposition succeeds by connecting people with nature, reflecting its surroundings, and maximising land use. The people of Dowling are conscious of their past with the mining industry and the destructive effect it caused their land. The population works hard to repopulate the surrounding forests. This courtyard housing proposition follows their mentality and offers a solution helping reduce the impact on their land .