Westminster Residence reinvents the standard gabled kind that populates Toronto’s Excessive Park neighborhood by remodeling it into one thing each respectful of context and boldly up to date. Designed by Batay-Csorba Architects, the architects made a acutely aware determination to have a good time slightly than conceal the underside of the roof. The steeply pitched terracotta roof hovers above a darkish brick quantity, making a presence each acquainted and unsettling.
As described by the architects: “The easy undertaking kind is a composition of three darkish monolithic figures, a low darkish brick-clad quantity, a heavy triangular stone-clad roof, and tall rectilinear dormers. The heavy roof hovers asymmetrically on prime of the primary flooring, cantilevering the lined carport and aspect patio and producing an unsettling dynamic between the straightforward volumes. Related in measurement and materiality, the dormers tackle diametrically reverse stances within the undertaking, with one grounding the west façade because it meets the bottom, and the east dormer inexplicably cantilevered and hovering above the carport.”
Darkish stained walnut and heavy unfilled travertine reinforce the load of the area, whereas white oak flooring and delicate lime-washed partitions provide counterbalancing lightness. This materials rigidity mirrors the formal rigidity between the asymmetrically balanced volumes – a heavy triangular stone roof that seems to drift above the brick base, and dormers that concurrently floor and hover. The architects additionally rigorously thought-about how these supplies would age. The pure patina that may develop on the tough terracotta shingles, hand-pressed brick, and uncooked galvanized metal will steadily harmonize with the spreading panorama.
The aspect yard’s acid-etched concrete patio is detailed to look as if hovering above the sloping panorama. The acid-etching course of provides the concrete a refined texture that catches gentle in another way all through the day. A skinny steel line creates a exact boundary that manages water runoff whereas visually separating the patio from the constructing’s basis.
For extra info on Batay-Csorba Architects, go to batay-csorba.com.
Pictures by Doublespace Pictures.
