Grey Highlands, Ontario, Canada
A Toronto family commissioned a 2,000-square-foot weekend retreat outside of the city on a hilly 100 acres where they bike and hike. Toronto-based Williamson Chong Architects divided the house into two volumes'a poured-in-place raw concrete base buried into the hill and oriented east and a rectangular volume, perched on top, oriented to the west.
Design concept and solution: The concrete base defines a “service bar” of rooms: the entry and stair, kitchen, office, bike garage, storage, and a mechanical room. Adjacent to that, a living room, with cedar-framed windows on three sides, offers panoramic views across the owners’ property. Polished concrete floors contain an efficient radiant-floor heating system.
The plywood-clad second level hovers above the first and contains the bedrooms, bathrooms, and family room. The two floors are connected by a sculpted, curving stair formed of thin, CNC-cut plywood panels. The architects also employed this technology for the siding, which traces an evolving wave-like pattern around the perimeter of the building. A clerestory above the stair dramatizes its flow and introduces natural ventilation.
PeopleOwner: Withheld at Owner's Request Location: Grey Highlands, Ontario, Canada
Completion Date:
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Architect:
Personnel in architect's firm who should receive special credit: Engineer(s): Blackwell Bowick Partnership Ltd. General contractor: Wilson Project Management Photographer(s): Bob Gundu |
Products
Structural system Floor and Roof Systems: 2x10 wood joists and 9-1/2" TJI 110s.
Exterior cladding The lower volume is western red cedar siding installed vertically.
Finish:
Windows
Glazing
Doors
Hardware
Interior finishes Custom Felt Headboard in master bedroom: Kathryn Walter, Felt Studio Stair: The stair balustrade and treads are solid birch. The curved interior stair, designed and fabricated by the architect, is made of custom CNC milled birch plywood profiles. Paints and stains: Walls and ceilings. Benjamin Moore CC-40. Plastic laminate: Kitchen counter: Nevamar Black Pearl and Wilsonart Laminate Frosty White Floor and wall tile: Bathroom wall tile is Olympia New Windsor Matte, Salt & Pepper Window Shades: Solarfective Teleshades, Pearl 1% fabric.
Furnishings Upholstery: Window bench is covered in Maharam Venn in Paprika Fireplace: Heatilator Accelerator Wood Burning Fireplace
Lighting Downlights: Eurolite Strategy adjustable recessed downlight
Plumbing
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