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Terrace House 2
Terrace House 2
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Other Projects by Lynch + Comisso Architecture + Light
Terrace House 2
The house is located in an established yet eclectic neighborhood in Toronto. The clients purchased the property with an existing 1 1/2 storey post-war house that they resided in for 5 years. As their family grew, so too had their space requirements. The small, contained spaces within the house did not allow for the flexibility of room layouts and the small kitchen and dining area could not accommodate large family gatherings. Rather than move, they decided to demolish and build a modern home tailored to their lifestyle. Objectives of Project:This house is an evolution of a previous house designed by the architects for an empty-nester couple in Washington DC. On a larger scale and different orientation, this house builds on the successes of the earlier design. Both houses are built on relatively small lots with sub-urban density and with reasonable budgets, supporting the argument for more site-specific design for sub-urban housing stock.Function & Aesthetics:The ground floor has an entirely open plan with columns, a closet and a moving partition acting as spatial dividers. To take advantage of the wooded rear yard, the house has a strong visual and physical connection with the outdoors through the living area. Architectural lighting features define and complement the different functions of each area. The flat roof planes cascade down the sloped site, transitioning between the volumes of the adjacent houses. Details are clean yet comfortable in their natural and earth-toned palette of materials.Innovation:Incorporated into the design is an 8ft datum plane running through the home. This acts as a tool for controlling both natural and artificial light. At the front of the house, the plane begins as an exterior overhang, shading and protecting the front entry and office. Once inside, it becomes the office ceiling that reflects the up-lights mounted in the millwork partition and stone pier below. Moving through the house, the plane frames the living room ceiling, both to bring scale to the 13ft high space and to act as a light shelf that reflects natural light onto the ceiling by day and illuminates the room by using up-lights by night. Finally, at the exterior of the living room, it becomes an overhang that protects and shades at the rear of the house. Sustainability:The new house is the antithesis of the tight, dark spaces that made up the house that existed on the site. Natural light enters the living spaces throughout the day, making the most of passive solar benefit by incorporating a light shelf to reflect summer sun to the ceiling for indirect lighting while keeping heat gain out and that allows the winter sun to reach deeper into open plan spaces. Deep roof overhangs shade the summer sun. The design incorporates a highly efficient and flexible lighting system in the main living space. Radiant insulated floor heating in the basement floor slab along with highly insulated wall and floor assemblies allow the thermostat to be kept at lower temperature throughout the winter. Engineered wood products were used for the walls, floors, and roofs, limiting the need for sawn lumber.
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