COMNs first built work, Semi Semi, consists of two 1,000-squarefoot semi-detached homes nestled onto a site near Torontos Greektown. One serves as the firms residence and studio, and the other is used for long-term rental accommodation. Photo by Doublespace PhotographyThe founders of Toronto-based COMN aimed to make a splash when they set up their firm, choosing as their inaugural project a multiplex they developed for themselves. The so-called Semi-Semi occupies a tight 16-by-78-foot corner lot in Torontos east end. Instead of a detached home, Clarissa Nam and Peter McNeil designed two back-to-back units of 1,000-squarefeet each, one of which was to become their own home. Both of the split-level units are massed vertically, allowing each to have its own street-facing entrance. The exterior is a geometrical composition of white stucco over vertical black wood siding, with a middle section in grey concrete panels. Generous windows and perforated aluminum screens allow in natural light. The mirror-image living spaces are situated at opposite ends to allow for acoustic separation.COMNs first built work, Semi Semi, consists of two 1,000-squarefoot semi-detached homes nestled onto a site near Torontos Greektown. One serves as the firms residence and studio, and the other is used for long-term rental accommodation. Photo by Doublespace PhotographyCOMNs first built work, Semi Semi, consists of two 1,000-squarefoot semi-detached homes nestled onto a site near Torontos Greektown. One serves as the firms residence and studio, and the other is used for long-term rental accommodation. Photo by Doublespace PhotographyWe used Semi-Semi as a jumping off point, to get the house published and get our name out there, says McNeil. He had worked previously for Toronto architect and multi-family developer George Popper, and the couple had an interest in pursuing infill residential projects a fast-growing market, given Toronto City Councils move to allow multiplexes and small apartment buildings in many areas previously reserved for detached residential.One such project is an infill site across the street from the Art Gallery of Ontario, currently a large vacant lot behind an existing nineunit walk-up apartment. Instead of shoe-horning a stand-alone midrise onto the site, Nam and McNeil designed an extension to the walk-up that will include 12 rental units, varying in size from one to three bedrooms. We thrive under constraints, McNeil says of the tight lot. Adds Nam: It focuses us to try to maximize what we have, but at the same time, obviously, to make it as aesthetically pleasing as it can be.COMNs first built work, Semi Semi, consists of two 1,000-squarefoot semi-detached homes nestled onto a site near Torontos Greektown. One serves as the firms residence and studio, and the other is used for long-term rental accommodation. Photo by Doublespace PhotographyGrange Place is a 12-unit residential building situated on a vacant lot behind an existing 1930s walk-up apartment building. Residents access their homes from a landscaped pedestrian mews, which buffers the entrances from the laneway and provides the suites with direct sunlight. Photo by COMNThat approach characterized the conditions on the lot they had purchased for their own home. Youre forced to really engage with the context, Nam adds. In general, that outlook also describes their practice, which is defined more by pragmatism than by a consistent aesthetic. And like other smaller, newer, firms, theyve learned quickly to be mindful of their clients resources: Every project is going to be different, she observes. We work under any budget and focus on the experience of each space.CLARISSA NAM, PETER MCNEIL, JONAS CHIN, NATALIE KOPPThis profile is part of ourOctober 2024 feature story, Twenty + Change: New Perspectives.As appeared in the October 2024 issue of Canadian Architect magazineThe post Twenty + Change: COMN Architects appeared first on Canadian Architect.