Page 74 - Designing Ways 282

Eglington W House

Toronto, Canada

ocated off a busy retail and commuter street in Toronto, this

house was conceived as a simple architectural proposition: a
Lbox with one spatial gesture that attempts to enhance common
social patterns in the public spaces of a home.

Entry through the front of the house is modest, and comprised of
a small entry closet flanked by a reading lounge. This transitions to
a flexible dining area. At this point, a spatial tangent funnels one's
experience and eye towards the full width of the home. The space is
centred around a sculptural island that, at first glance, presents a knife
edge towards the viewer while it funnels towards the rear, producing
an unfamiliar triangulated form.

It is this triangular form that allows for a more integrated and multi-
faceted social interaction between inhabitants. The three sides of the
island, one for sitting, watching, and cooking, allow users of each to
interact simultaneously. This same sculptural element has a fourth
function not initially observed: when users ascend into the living
room via a few steps from the island, a piece of furniture becomes a
wall, like a piece of architecture that defines and humanizes the open
floor plan. Once seated your sense of space is altered and you feel
comforted by the object in front of you.

The simplicity and singularity of the project was furthered through
material selection and application. Consistency of the material
approach, from exterior through to the most private of spaces,
maintains the simplicity and calmness of the home. Large openings
in the façade provide ample natural light, and are flanked by opaque
operable panels to provide fresh air when desired.

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