The Mask House is a two-storey dwelling that grounds its presence by embracing juxtapositional qualities in order to set an example for its neighbourhood which is undergoing a rapid gentrification. Located at the Roncesvalles Village, in the west end of Toronto, the project was designed and built respecting the narrow elongated trapezoidal site, the limited budget, the very restricted Zoning & By-laws, and of course a demanding brief from the client. Yet, the outcome brings vivid energy, inspires renewal, and suggests possibilities that design can offer.
Valise is a retail space nestled in the lower levels of Union Station, Toronto’s historic train station and transit hub. Dating back to the 19th century, Union Station is a Beaux-Arts public building that used resilient materials like stone, brass, cane, and ceramic tile. Valise combines the heritage protected building with contemporary retail design for juice brand Greenhouse Juice Co. It takes inspiration from the design of turn-of-the-century suitcases which were lined with fabric and secured with brass hardware. The interior of the shop, like the fabric lining, is treated with precious finishes that line the walls to create a continuous display cove. Its shelves are brass, and its interior is lined with hand glazed vibrant green tiles with terracotta grout. The curved ceilings and panelized walls of the cove structure reference an antique train car. Each panel is made of curved walnut frames with woven cane infill on mirror backing. They are a reference to Thonet’s flat pack design for mass manufactured chairs from the 19th century which became ubiquitous in public spaces. The panels frame display shelves, shroud a new green display fridge, and cover the ceiling. As with historic trains, the ceiling is curved. It is painted in mint green and frames four smoked mirror panels which are suspended above the space. When patrons enter the shop, their view is reflected in the ceiling which extends the panelized design into another reality. The east wall is a preserved terracotta tile partition. It is the background for the service counter which is lit with a swiveling blown glass fixture on a brass post. Staff reach a small kitchen by way of a tiled door which is seamlessly hidden in the tile wall. The material selection utilizes handmade finishes as the original retail space would have had.
Toronto’s typology of long, narrow, and dark retail spaces is re-imagined as Alice’s fall down the rabbit hole (from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll). The weight of the store is balanced by the Queen Street frontage and laneway frontage at the rear garden. The typical understanding of the streetscape and the customer’s experience is subverted.
Toronto is undergoing a shift in attention to its laneway network. This project sharpens the role that the laneway frontage plays. By creating a destination at the ‘rear’ of this building, users are drawn through the space in more than one direction.
Exceptional air-tightness and above-code insulation keeps this house warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The small windows on the north facade maintain privacy and minimize heat-loss, while the south facade is almost entirely glass designed to passively heat the home in the winter. A passive ventilation strategy cools the home in the summer. Durable and recyclable exterior cladding ensures this home will last with minimal maintenance and have a small environmental impact.
The idea that everything surrounding the offering—from presentation to hospitality—is as important as the product has helped shape the concept of Milky’s. The project emerged from a reimagining of the concept of the cafe which has fallen stagnant since the popularization of cafe culture, in order to create a reinvigorated expression of this ubiquitous space. This drive of recombining conventional elements to stimulate new experience begins with the wrapping of the interior with a modular flooring system typically reserved for the highly formal and repetitive patterns derived from traditional inlay decoration. In Milky’s the modular logic of this system is instead used as a framework for disrupting such static patterning, with interlocking pieces of light and dark wood producing a high-contrast tessellation which expands and contracts, shifts and realigns in a series of strata, enveloping the customer in a sort of “caffeinated” space. All other elements within the space become camouflaged within this graphic counterpoint; thin metal shelves run along its lines, equipment is powder-coated white to fall into the background, and the street face opens with glass to the ceiling, casting the interior in vivid light such that the dynamic patterning becomes the predominant focus of the space.
This Toronto residence concept centered around ideas of revival and renewal. Initially faced with a late 1880’s Victorian heritage listed facade a completely new idea of the interior that worked to utilize the spatial logic and existing window openings implied by the original architecture acted as the starting point.
The Saint George Hotel, Kimpton’s only hotel operating in Canada, is situated in the heart of Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood. The interior design communicates a narrative of local pride, diverse heritage and contemporary culture to create a hotel experience that celebrates Toronto’s layered history and sensibilities.
The 14-story hotel integrates elements of Toronto’s culture and personality, giving guests a distinct sense of place. The experience of being a guest in their own well-appointed apartment. With 188 guest rooms, including 20 suites, a Presidential Suite, a fitness centre, meeting and event space, the property provides unique guest accommodations within a neighbourhood setting.
The Daniels Building at the University of Toronto embodies a holistic approach to urban design and sustainability. As the new home for the John H. Daniels Faculty of architecture, landscape, and design, its purpose is to engage students and the broader community in dialogue about the built environment.
Project Team: John Houser, Amin Tadj, Tim Wong, Alda Black, Marta Guerra, James Juricevich, Parke Macdowell, Dane Asmussen, Laura Williams, Peter Sprowls, Noora Al Musallam, Tammy Teng, Wesley Hiatt, John Mars, Mazyar Kahali, Matthew Waxman, Luisel Zayas
The house gazes at the street and the neighbourhood through the eyes of the two symmetrical windows, punctured on the mass cantilevered above the main floor, which resembles a face sneaking forward. Located at the Scarborough Junction, in the east end of Toronto, it was created respecting the narrow site, the restrictive budget, and all the speculations. Despite all these limitations, the house is like a curious creature; it contaminates its surrounding, made of typical Torontonian infill houses, with livelihood and inspires the possibility of design which belongs to everyone and everywhere.
Located in Toronto’s Roncesvalles neighbourhood, the Galley house challenges conventional notions typical of a semi-detached, Victorian era home, by providing a new rear entry hub, internal connectivity, and abundant natural light within a two-storey volume addition.
The client’s desire was to convert their home into a more livable and beautiful space that would suit their family’s lifestyle. Merike Bauer, a founding partner of the firm along with Stephen Bauer, explains “We approached that brief by reconsidering two primary elements: the pattern of circulation into the house and access to natural light.”
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