House in High Park / Ian MacDonald Architect Inc.Save this picture!© Tom Arban•Toronto, Canada Architects: Ian MacDonald Architect Inc. Area Area of this architecture project Area:  3200 ft² Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2023 Photographs Photographs:Tom Arban Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:  Kebony, Bioroof Systems Inc., Sterling Lead Architects: Ian MacDonald More SpecsLess Specs Save this picture! Text description provided by the architects. We have always marveled at the way an apparent shortcoming or liability related to a given site condition turns out to be the attribute that informs the essential character of a project, and such is the case for this house. The challenge was to make something of the unusual vacant property where the original dwelling had been completely lost to fire. Our site represented a missing tooth in a single-family residential neighborhood. The anomaly that defined the site, however, was the fact that its southern boundary did not extend to the public street, subverting the fact that one could not enter the dwelling from the "front". Entry through the ravine landscape was not possible and we decided that its restoration/naturalization should be our priority as this ravine landscape would provide a visual amenity to the public realm on Indian Valley Crescent, the adjacent parkette, and to the residents of the house.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Arrival to the residence from the rear laneway is signaled by one's passage through an oversized pivot door and under a floating green roof structure that at once accommodates carport, storage, and gateway functions. This sequence creates a level of anticipation that is rewarded by one's arrival into the contained private courtyard. This space serves as an entry court, a quiet place of repose for reading and dining in the garden, and as a private view prospect from the house. Its containment creates a level of privacy that allows it to serve as an outdoor room, complementing the natural view of the south ravine landscape experienced from the principal rooms.Save this picture!Save this picture!A recessed entrance establishes a covered "front porch" leading to an interior vestibule that provides a moment of pause, from which views to the south ravine are withheld. One has the option of passing through the kitchen or via an open study area to the principal living area in the center of the plan. The living and dining areas occupy the south face of the ground floor plan. The compressed ceiling height of the living area establishes a place of intimacy around the fire and opens out to a view of the ravine beyond. The sectional development of the space, with a continuous elevated roof of exposed rough-sawn fir structure across the entire south frontage suggests continuity between inside and out and reinforces a connection between this place of occupation and nature.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The linear kitchen is a double-height volume inviting generous light and atypical connections to more private spaces on the second floor. This organic gesture naturally draws light and views into the interior. The dining area, facing south, fluidly connects the kitchen with the living area. To the north, an anterior den is arranged around a woodstove, providing a casual point of connection for family and friends, and visually engaging the kitchen with the entry courtyard.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!On the second floor, view frames from the bedrooms and bathrooms edit out the middle-ground landscape of the lane and road so that the sense of engagement with nature is enhanced. The third floor is the parental sanctum place of repose, remote from the fray of the other activities in the house, providing a place to work, lounge, and enjoy the experience of sauna rounds in quiet repose. Views from here are framed by the cantilevered roof and the green roof landscaping to present an ideal realm for restoration embedded within the mature forest canopy of the ravine forest.Save this picture!This house restores the streetscape as viewed from the public road. Its form and modest proportions are derived from alignments with neighboring dwellings so that its presence within this standard typological framework of the street sits comfortably. A rain screen cladding of random-width horizontal Kebony siding finished with a semi-transparent charcoal stain presents the building as a shadow, allowing the surrounding foliage to take precedence over the architecture and define the site. The alignment and screening of the neighboring houses allow the focus of the view to remain on the natural landscape of the ravine. Once inside no one would suspect this house was in the heart of the city. It represents a quiet insertion that sits comfortably with its more traditional neighbors as it provides generous connections to the native landscape of the historic High Park Ravine.Save this picture! Project gallerySee allShow less About this office MaterialWoodMaterials and TagsPublished on April 17, 2025Cite: "House in High Park / Ian MacDonald Architect Inc." 17 Apr 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1029091/house-in-high-park-ian-macdonald-architect-inc&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save世界上最受欢迎的建筑网站现已推出你的母语版本!想浏览ArchDaily中国吗?是否 You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream