First Avenue Garden in Toronto, Canada by PLANT Architect Inc.

Article source: PLANT Architect Inc.

This garden fronts a repurposed nineteenth-century industrial property that now houses three apartments. Unlike its neighbouring rowhouses, this building sits very close to the public sidewalk, had no rear yard, and, following an interior renovation, has giant windows facing the street.

Image Courtesy © Peter Legris Photography

• Architects: PLANT Architect Inc.
• Project: First Avenue Garden
• Location: Toronto, Canada
• Photography: Peter Legris Photography
  
• Software used: Vectorworks
• Contractor: Zone 6
• Team: Mary Tremain, Lisa Rapoport, Chris Pommer, Elise Shelley, Jeremy McGregor

Overall view of the Garden from the East, Image Courtesy © Peter Legris Photography

With a limited outdoor area, we faced the challenge of including a lounge area, seating, dining facilities, a BBQ, storage space, bicycle access and storage, privacy screen, plantings and the main entry to the house. The solution is a simple garden plan with three distinct zones: a cooking and storage area, a lounging and dining area, and a concealed garden to look at through the apartment’s large interior side window. All three of these areas are surrounded by under-story trees to ensure there is ample privacy from the street, both for the garden and for the interior of the complex.

View of the Lounge Area Image Courtesy © Peter Legris Photography

Cooking and Bike Storage Area with custom table made with salvaged wood, Image Courtesy © Peter Legris Photography

Industrial, salvaged and recycled local materials were used throughout the space. Dyed, sandblasted concrete paving and crushed Ontario granite replaced the existing, randomly placed stone paving. The old paving was preserved, trimmed and reused as garden edging. A long table and bench were custom-made using salvaged Toronto beams, and the existing kit-shed was re-clad with perforated metal and painted. Japanese Maples and Pagoda Dogwoods serve as more intimate tree canopies under the larger, existing maple canopy. In the private corner of the garden, a Paperbark Maple stands squarely in front of the garden-facing window, allowing residents to closely observe the tree’s exfoliation process all year round.

Custom bench using salvaged wood, Image Courtesy © Peter Legris Photography

The view from the street, Image Courtesy © Peter Legris Photography

Both the long bench and BBQ table are made from old Douglas Fir beams. Set on steel bases, the bench and table form a border around the yard, framing the yard’s activities and accenting the garden’s plantings.

Image Courtesy © PLANT Architect Inc.

Tags: Canada, Toronto

Categories: Garden, Vectorworks

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