Weathering Steel House, Toronto

In the Toronto garden suburb of Don Mills, 1960's ranch bungalows and their surrounding landscaping are being levelled to be replaced by substantial, clumsy, historically referential monster houses. Constructed of beige brick, taupe coloured stucco and reconstituted stone these new houses form the new ideal suburban dream house. Complimented by decorative and ornamental landscaping they are the antithesis of their modernist predecessors.

This residence sits in direct contrast to this context. Materially rich, dark, and abstract, it creates a clear threshold to the world within, to the site it creates and to the ravine edge over which it looks. The L-shaped house frames a reconfigured landscape created around shaped, tree covered mounds and a sweeping meadow. Imbedding itself into the centre of the house the reflecting pool and swimming pool beyond form the intermediary between building and landscape, weaving reflected light, motion and sound into the heart of the project.

From the street this house is seemingly much more opaque than adjacent buildings, meanwhile sculptural cut outs in the elevation offers precise transparent glimpses of the ravine beyond. Upon entering, a circulation space parallel to the front elevation connects garage entry, front entry, basement courtyard and second floor in one continuous slice of vertical and horizontal space. From the entry one catches a glimpse of the ravine treetops beyond before rising up a few steps to the main living level. From here the landscape and the house unfold, with the linear watercourse weaving internal and external space together.

A skylight and inverted bay window drops a pool of light on the landing of the stair to the second floor, terminating the end of the reflecting pool axis. At the second floor, this inverted bay window and large window on the south side of the house help to form a bridge like condition linking master bedroom and children’s wing.