Conceptually, the design is seen as a collage of wood, metal and glass planes which appear to slide, shift, and reveal themselves in concert with the “movement speed” of the observer.
From an architectural point of view, the 2 bisecting forms are composed and fragmented to reflect the proportions of the smaller scale housing. The easterly unit is animated by a raised front porch that faces Carruthers and transitions the home from public to private realm. The westerly unit’s main entrance is an innocuous side door with a minimalist canopy that connects to and addresses the pathway.
Corrugated metal planes, inspired by the industrial context, slide up and down and slip forward and back animating the view from Scott Street, the LRT line and the pathway.
Dark wood cladding brings a sense of warmth and harkens back to the original wood clapboard found on the archetypal working-class houses of Mechanicsville and the lumberyards that were once a significant part of the urban fabric in the area.