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House well
By : Uoai Architects / Stanislav Jurkovic
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 16th edition
Discipline : Architecture
Categories : Residential Building / Private House ≤ 2 000 pi2 (≤ 185 m2) : Silver Certification
House Well is a renovation and addition to a previously one storey brick bungalow on the west end of Toronto. Two separate volumes of differing heights were spanned under a new roof over the reconfigured ground floor creating varying spatial conditions. An open floor plan is achieved while still defining various distinct areas. Set behind an enclosed front porch, sheltered from the busy street, the lofty entry and living area is defined by the higher volume of secondary bedrooms and reinforced by a clerestory capturing the tree and sky out front. In contrast, the compressed space at the kitchen below the lower volume with the principal bedroom opens to the rear yard with large uninterrupted openings.
A diaphanous perforated metal staircase is suspended in a central gap, or well, between the two upper volumes. The well is open on either end with windows to the east and west. Shifting colour temperatures are measured and highlighted through the course of the day within the well and filtered to the ground level below. The changing course of the staircase, reinforced by material changes and the layout of interrupting walls and screens, suggest a labyrinth that reinforces differing perspectives within the single volume enlarging the experience of the compact 1300sf family home.
Most of the brick exterior of the original home was retained along with the volume of the enclosed front porch. The east and west facades of the new upper storey are clad in reflective metal siding that react in sunlight or fuse with overcast skies. The north and south facades are clad in shou sugi ban wood breaking down the volume of the home. An expanded metal screen shields the porch from the street and introduces the first of three solid volumes that define the porous living space behind.
Collaboration
