Toronto

Sometimes called “the city within a park,” Toronto is known for its ravine system–natural river valleys that create urban oases. At the edge of one of these forested pits, Toronto-based Shim-Sutcliffe Architects used an intimate understanding of the terrain to design a single-family residence of Wrightean pavilions clad in weathered steel and green, powder-coated-aluminum panels. “The house and the pool house are part of a journey from the city to this natural area,” says architect Brigitte Shim.

After visitors arrive in the driveway, a long weathered-steel wall to the left and narrow koi pond to the right guide them to the covered entrance canopy. The canopy is partially clad in geometric green panels that screen a bedroom window. (The material palette is one the architects like–they used it on an assisted-living facility for a congregation of nuns, which recently opened in Toronto.)

The extensively glass-walled ground floor contains a living room with mahogany fins along the south elevation that offer privacy while maintaining a view. Here, a poured-in-place-concrete floor and columns contrast with the delicate custom stainless steel uplights.

Outside, the site slopes down to a pool house with a weathered-steel green roof that floats above a wood deck and fireplace, creating an outdoor room. “Even though it's a new house, it feels like it's been there a really long time,” says Shim.

Completion Date: July 2011

Gross Square Footage: 6,566 sq.ft. (incl. basement), Pool House - 969 sq.ft.

Location: Toronto, ON

People

Interior designer:
Munge-Leung ' Alessandro Munge

Engineer(s):
Structural:
Blackwell Engineering Ltd. - Dave Bowick,
P.Eng

Mechanical:
GPY + Associates Enginnering Inc.,-
Grant P.Youdelis, P.Eng. and
Martin G.Maniacco, C.Tech., LEED AP

Electrical:
Dynamic Designs and Engineering Inc, -
Tony Monopoli

Civil:
Masongsong Associates Engineering Limited. - Tony Masongsong, P.Eng

Consultant(s):
Landscape:
NAK Design Group - Robert Ng

Audio/Visual:
Wired Up Inc.

Millwork:
G+P Millwork

General contractor:
VMF Structures Ltd. - Vic Furgiuele

Photographer(s):
Shim-Sutcliffe Architects

CAD system, project management,
or other software used:

AutoCad & SketchUp

 

Products

Structural system:
List type, e. g. concrete or steel flame,
wood, etc:

Wood framing with concrete and steel
elements

Exterior cladding:
Metal Panels:
Custom break-formed Weathering Steel
Cladding: Tremonte Welding & Ironworks;
Powder Coated Aluminum Panels '
Terrasan Metal Fabrications Inc.

Moisture barrier:
Grace Ultra High Temperature Membrane

Roofing:
Built-up roofing:
Inverted Roof Membrane Assembly (IRMA)
on the upper roof of the main house.

Other:
Strucutral Insulated Panel System (SIPS)
over the main living room, provide by
Thermapan Green Roof System on lower
roofs of the main house and on the pool
house, supplied by Soprema and installed by Lawrence Park Garden Care

Windows:
Wood frame:
Mahogany wood windows manufactured
by Dynamic Architectural Windows and Doors

Glazing:
Skylights:
Acrylic Dome Skylights over main house,
custom skylight around pool house perimeter, supplied by Artistic Skylight

Doors:
Entrances:
Mahogany, Manufactured by Dynamic
Architectural Windows and Doors

Wood doors:
Mahogany, Manufactured by Dynamic
Architectural Windows and Doors

Sliding doors:
Lift and Slide door - Mahogany,
Manufactured by Dynamic Architectural
Windows and Doors

Hardware:
Locksets:
FSB, supplied by Upper Canada Hardware

Pulls:
FSB, supplied by Upper Canada Hardware

Interior finishes:
Cabinetwork and custom woodwork:
G+P Millwork

Paneling:
See Millwork

Solid surfacing:
Caesarstone counter tops

Special surfacing:
Marmorino Plaster, supplied and installed
by Duffy and Associates

Special interior finishes unique to this project:
Custom Interior handrails, designed by Shim-Sutcliffe, Manufactured by Pengelly
Ironworks Ltd.

Furnishings:
Tables:
Custom Walnut work table designed by
Munge Leung

Lighting:
Interior ambient lighting:
Custom up-light in the living room.
Designed by Shim-Sutcliffe, manufactured by Nelson and Garrett

Plumbing:
Custom fountain designed by Shim-Sutcliffe
and manufactured by Pengelly Iron Works
(metal work) and Classic Fountain Systems (plumbing).
Fixtures by Dornbracht