One in a series of three single family residences with an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) in one downtown Toronto neighbourhood, 44 Foxley explores one typological variation. A figurative stair connects the four floors, and the profile of an arched bay window becomes a vaulted ceiling that extends the full length the third floor connecting the front facade to the rear. This geometric language carries through to the ADU connecting the buildings and creating a sense of a shared courtyard between the two.
The radial array of concrete masonry units adds texture to the semi- permeable entry way that leads both to the main entrance and to the lower level walkout. The gaps between paving allow for spontaneous plant life to emerge over time.
With the kitchen in the centre of the house, the subtle shift in the stair helps divide the open floor area space into three; one for eating, one for cooking and one for living which connects to courtyard between the main house and the ADU.
The language of the interior is consistent throughout the house. The slight bend of stair and curved walls create a fluid transition that works its way through all four floors. This is felt most on the second floor where the bend of the stair creates a geometric logic that allows for a careful nesting of smaller spaces.
On the third floor, the arch of the front window is pulled through the master bathroom, across the master bedroom closet where it merges with a larger vault of the rear facade.
The tight corridor below opens up to third floor, where the stair again divides the open floor, with the sleeping area under the vaulted ceiling to the rear and the master bathroom at the front of the house.
Subtle curvature, and materials help tie the main house to laneway facing rear facade of the ADU where the non-nondescript door system conceals the garage and the point of entry to the dwelling-unit on the second level.
Seen from the rear laneway, the geometry of the curved roof at the rear of the main house breaks with the typical language of the pitched roof common in the neighbourhood.
Carrying a similar geometry from the main house to the ADU, the half vault ceiling and oblique wall along the large glazing help to create a sense of intimacy in the bachelor suite.
On the low rise residential street with a varied character typical of Toronto, the arched window punctuates the rhythm of the street scape.
A deep recessed balcony, nested in the wedge of the stair, provides a semi enclosed outdoor space on the third level.
Dominated by the two-storey arched bay window, the front facade pulls together a set of complex figurative and geometric relationships while large windows on the main facade frame glimpses into the private life of the interior.
Drawing Caption
The upper floor plans reveal how the geometry of the stair creates a complex relationship with the exterior shell, particularly on the top floor where the vaulted ceiling carries through the length of each building.
