Designed by GH3 Architects, Called House 60, is a renovation and addition to a 50’s suburban house on a large lot in Toronto, Canada. The principle living space is flanked longitudinally on both sides with service zones containing storage, media units, a pantry, stairs and mechanical spaces, set behind full–height pivoting wall panels.
The existing house was largely introverted—small windows, low ceilings—with a traditional plan—living room, separate dining room and cramped kitchen on the ground floor, and a maze of bedrooms on the second. An undistinguished building from the exterior—brick with a shallow sloping roof-adorned over time with a wrought iron front porch and aluminum awnings.
A 2–storey glass wall at the rear of the house, a 1–storey glass wall at front, and multiple skylights maximize the admission of daylight and facilitate passive ventilation. The extensive use of glass at the rear allows for the greatest number of views to the garden and at the front, serves as a modern day front porch, reconnecting the building with its site and the city.
The ground floor of the house is organized as a continuous open space to allow for the changing patterns of use of a growing family. Floor-to-ceiling glass panels are strategically positioned on the ground and second floors to provide safety for young children while allowing views through all of the principle living spaces. Glass panels and walls are selectively fritted with a super–scaled flock pattern, which amplifies the whiteness of the interior.
GH3 Architects
55 Ossington Ave Suite 100
Toronto, Ontario, M6J 2Y9
Phone +1 416 915 17 91
Fax +1 416 915 17 93
info (at) gh3.ca
www.gh3.ca
