Dubbeldam Inc. Architecture + Design adorn a home in Toronto with biophilic design to create a symbiosis which is contemporary yet connected to nature.
The Garden Circle house is located on a tight cul-de-sac in a midtown Toronto, nestled in a family neighbourhood that boasts large trees. The Garden Circle House responds to the jumble of styles and sizes of other homes on the street with a scale and proportion appropriate to the lot.
The house was designed for a family of four who love the outdoors and (most of) who are avid hockey players. The clients were drawn to mid-century prairie style architecture that incorporates the use of natural materials, overhangs, ample natural light and a connection with the outdoors. The family sought out our firm to create a home that incorporated sustainable building strategies, was inspired by nature, and awash in daylight while bringing the outdoors in.
The house is designed as two shifted forms in plan, defined by two different colours of brick on the exterior (buff-coloured and grey brick). This shift creates spatial definition in the floor plan and double height spaces in the homes’ interior, accentuated at the wood stair and central skylight.
The ground floor contains all the communal spaces (kitchen, living room, dining room, entry points) with a reciprocal relationship between the indoor living spaces and the outdoors, made possible with large expansive windows and strategic views to the backyard. On the second floor are the more private areas of the home, including the bedrooms bathrooms.
In response to the client brief for a home that was sustainable, inspired by nature, the architects drew upon biophilic design strategies for the house. Biophilic design incorporates visual and non-visual connections with nature through views, materiality, sound and light to create a sensory experience (sight, sound, touch and smell) of the natural world in the built environment. The infusion of Biophilic design was achieved by using spatial strategies which provided a visual connection with nature. These strategies made use of natural materials and biomorphic forms and patterns integrated with elevated viewpoints and water features. An unhindered access to natural light also played an important role in this design.
Upon entry into the house, a direct view of the landscaped backyard is provided through a tall, narrow window on axis. Looking back toward the front entry, a double-height space dramatically showcases the home’s dynamic spatial qualities, enhanced by the light that pours in from the tall windows, and the abstracted shadows cast from the unique triangular light fixtures overhead. Views are primarily oriented to the rear of the house with floor-to-ceiling sliding doors, which connect interior and exterior spaces and capture morning sun from the east.
The careful choice of materials utilised in the project is also a testimony to the kind of detailing that preceded the execution of this project. Natural and warm materials are the basis for the project, as seen in the interior and exterior, working together to create a richness and calmness more than a “wow” factor. The use of warm-coloured woods such as steamed robinia for the flooring, and walnut and mahogany for the stair and millwork, creates the ambiance for the interior. The fireplace is clad in subtly veined grey limestone and the millwork in grey-stained white oak slats. The exterior is clad in buff and grey brick complemented by the warm wood tones and mahogany windows and doors.
Another highlight of the project is the curved central staircase that connects all three levels of the home. Crafted of solid mahogany, it features open risers and a curved balustrade that emulates natural organic forms, inviting the hand to run along its sculptural contours. Light filters through the large skylight above the stair, providing natural illumination and ventilation in the centre of the home, while simultaneously offering a view of the sky and highlighting the rich stair materials.
Complementing the biophilic design strategy for the home is the prioritization of sustainable elements including LED lighting. At night, the lighting reflects off the warm natural materials creating a wonderfully inviting and hospitable feeling. In warmer months when the pool is open, the landscape and pool lighting creates a cool atmosphere inviting people to stay and linger outdoors in the patio lounge area.
With a focus on sustainability, all of Dubbeldam’s projects exceed the local building code standards in terms of thermal resistance and R-value ratings of wall and roof insulation. The Garden Circle house is no exception. Triple paned windows and deep overhangs reduce the solar gain in the summer months and allow the natural heat energy into the home in the winter months.
Dubbeldam is known to regularly work with skilled fabricators to develop products that sync with its design philosophies. The firm has great working relationships with local designers and many of the finer details in this project are due to this sense of collaboration and pride in local. Particularly the stair, which involved working with Berman Stairs Inc to provide the client with a focal point in the design. That apart some branded accessories which have been utilised in this project are
Lighting
Bolt Pendant (Hollis + Morris)
Triangle Pendant (Hollis + Morris)
Labert & Fils Waldorf Suspension (Lightform)
Kartell FLY Pendant (Suite 22)
Wallpaper
Fornasetti In Vetta Life (Are & Be)
Woods (Lee Jofa)
16 Fornasetti Nuvole al Tramonto (Cole & Son)
Photo Courtesy: Scott Norsworthy
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