Innisfil is a small waterfront community just south of Barrie, Ontario. This contemporary house is in a neighborhood of small post-war cottages on deep narrow lots that are slowly being replaced by modest two and three-storey year-round homes.

The owner sought to design a small two-storey home with a basement apartment, that would maximize natural light and be as maintenance free as possible. The scale of the house was to be sympathetic to the size of the existing housing stock as well as the new homes being built.

The concept for the house was to treat the fundamental program elements as blocks. These are then organized relative to each other and stacked to create interplay of volume and void that maximizes views and daylight opportunities. Roof planes extend and fold to form overhangs and entrance spaces. The voids become the principal access points to the house.

More public interior spaces are on the street side of the house while more private functions are located at the rear. The cornerstone of the house is the one and a half storey glazed living room facing the rear yard. A centre hall contains the stair and acts as a light well to the interior. The house is clad in cement fiberboard panels minimizing maintenance and maximizing longevity.

STATUS : Under Construction