h-house
Ontario
Located within a forested community known for its maple tree forest, tranquil properties, and traditional homes, the residence was designed to reference the neighbourhood typology of a ‘house with two wings’ into a form that established more intimately scaled spaces. Simultaneously, the design sought to reinterpret traditional building materials and architectural language through minimal detailing and interior spaces more directly linked to the landscape. The resulting design is organized into two volumes, with a third elevated volume stacked perpendicularly to form a central, double-height nucleus connected to exterior courtyard spaces on either side. Grounding the design within a familiar architectural language, these minimal volumes use traditional gabled forms clad in natural, tactile materials that provide a timeless character and evoke the surrounding landscape. Wood siding and brick are commonplace for the neighbourhood, yet here the textured clay brick grounds the house to the site and references the vivid maple tree foliage in the fall, while dark walnut wood battens recall traditional window shutters. The h-shape configuration allows the home to fit comfortably within the neighbouring context while offering each wing a unique relationship to the site via a sheltered lanai at grade and an upper-level cantilevered terrace facing south.
The interior reflects these overlapping volumes through a series of spaces that feel harmonized while also individually defined. This effect is driven by two galleries extending from either end of the house, while a series of in-between objects delineate each cross-ventilated living space. The galleries are both circulatory and part of each room, while the objects ranging from a screened stair, a brick fireplace, and a monolithic stone island, are both functional and expressive. The restrained, natural palette of oak, brick, and sand-coloured walls keeps emphasis on the forest beyond via full-height openings that invite views out and natural light in.
