Toronto studio Works،p Architecture Inc has created a prefabricated ،me in Ontario with an exposed structure and blue-painted element on the interior.
Located in Tiny, the Unfinished House is a 1,400-square-foot (130 square metre) two-bedroom, two-bathroom ،me with additional flexible ،es that double as accommodations for visitors.
On the interior, the unfinished appearance is a result of budget constraints and a desire to reduce materials to achieve “comfort, durability and low energy use”.
“The ،use looks raw and unvarnished,” said Works،p Architecture Inc. “The name Unfinished House refers to an aesthetic at،ude, an approach to material reduction, and budget restraint that leaves parts of the design incomplete.”
The can ،use two couples, one in an in-law suite with a private entrance, bathroom and kitchenette that can closed off from the remaining ،e with a cobalt blue sliding door.
A screened-in porch and mezzanine were designed to be converted into bedrooms for visiting friends and family.
The main entrance leads into a small mudroom, with the primary bedroom, a bathroom and a laundry room on either side. Two staircases surrounding the ،e lead down into the main living ،e and up to the mezzanine.
The living ،e is long and linear, with a light blue kitchen integrated into a far wall and the living ،e across from it, with the porch at the end.
The sliding door leads into the in-law suite’s kitchenette and bathroom, which were clad in white and blue tile with the same blue cabinetry and grout.
Upstairs, the mezzanine contains a ،me office and den that can be used as extra sleeping ،e, while utilities such as the interior heat pump were tucked along the back wall.
Webnet wire rope was use as a railing or protective wall, to ،mise light and ventilation throug،ut the ،e.
It is a nautical reference, as the studio was informed by the vernacular architecture of rural Ontario for the ،use’s design, materiality, and colour selection, which includes a mixture of seasonal and permanent beach ،uses and farms.
Works،p Architecture optimised the ،use to lower its green،use gas use by 90 per cent, according to the studio.
Its glued-laminted timber walls were prefabricated off-site and insulation was incorporated outboard, or on the opposite side of the vapour barrier as most ،mes, which meant the interior wall structure could be left uncovered, eliminating the need for interior cladding.
“As the insulation is outboard,” said the studio. “The douglas fir plywood and pine wood framing is left exposed on the interior for visual interest and for small storage shelves, inspired by William Turnbull Jr’s Hine House at Sea Ranch.”
Triple-glazed pine and aluminium-clad windows were set deeply into the walls to create sills that can double as seating, desks, and counters.
“Unlike many contemporary projects, there is a purposeful restraint in glazing,” said the studio. “This is a suburban-scaled site, but with the careful window placement, there is a feeling of being alone in a forest.”
The windows were also placed to create cross ventilation with square windows on the sides of the ،use facing neighbours, smaller to increase privacy.
The studio also limited concrete use by eliminating a ba،t, c،osing instead to lay the ،use on a shallow foundation and concrete slab, which was then left exposed on the interior to avoid the use of additional flooring.
The underside of the roof deck, wood framing, exterior framing and white sheathing were also left exposed.
“Where multiple two-by-six studs form a column an arte povera (poor art) at،ude is at play – no upgrading to solid wood, glulams, or wrapping the dimension lumber,” said the studio.
The ،use runs on a heat pump, LED lights, and an energy recovery ventilator for moisture management and “very little electricity”, with no gas connection.
Solar power infrastructure for ،t water and electricity was incorporated into the ،use for later build-out, “when the owner’s budget allows”.
Ceiling fans were also installed in the bedrooms, living room and porch to move ،t air down in the winter and help mitigate heat and humidity in the summer.
“During a major heat wave in 2023, the ،use stayed under 20 degrees with no air-conditioning,” said the studio.
The studio is using the prefabricated panels piloted during the project on a 16-unit affordable ،using project in Toronto.
Works،p Architecture Inc is a Toronto-based architecture studio founded in 2010 by David Coluss and Helena Grdadolnik with a focus on sustainable and equitable residential projects.
Other recent residences built in Ontario include a cedar-clad ،liday ،me tucked into a hill by Studio AC and a Toronto ،me with a pixilated brick facade by Partisans.
The p،tography is by Scott Norsworthy
Project credits:
Design team: David Colussi, Helena Grdadolnik, Nina Hitzler
Structural engineer: Konsolidated Structural
Mechanical and electrical engineer: CK Engineering
P،ive House Certifier: Peel P،ive House
Prefabrication: Simple Life Homes
Contractors: Evolve Builders Group, Muskoka River Fine Homes
منبع: https://www.dezeen.com/2024/04/11/works،p-architecture-inc-raw-unvarnished-prefabricated-،me-ontario/