uncover | recover old shells | new trajectories FRANCESCO MARTIRE
family interiority cores
Whether Georgian, Edwardian or Victorian, there is an extensive supply of old housing stock in Toronto typified by thick shells of double wythe load-bearing masonry walls and timber-framed shapely roofs. It is a specific method of construction containing a substantial amount of embodied energy and a level of craft invested over a hundred years ago. A combination of poor thermal envelopes, antiquated programs such as servants’ quarters, and outdated mechanical systems call for a rethinking of this building type. These heavy masonry shells can be repurposed and revitalised for a new set of requirements framed by contemporary living. Through a kind of interior excavation, the addition of light weight wood framing and gypsum board, and the use of windows and light, a new relationship with the architecture transcends property values and iconography. It breeds a love for new space that prolongs the existence of these shells which become a scaffold both shaping and supporting current material technologies and ways of living. Deep care for a space establishes relationships between family and house that is foundational to the true sustainability of architecture. The life of these masonry buildings can be extended by designing tailored solutions for new and evolving inhabitants. unCover / reCover House is a full renovation of an 1890 Victorian semi-detached single-family dwelling in the west end of Toronto. The house was layered with several modifications over its 130-year history and most recently had sustained damage from a small fire. We peeled away the interior to the exterior load-bearing masonry walls, and reconfigured and layered a set of contemporary spaces tailored for a married couple with two active young children within the existing envelope. The house takes its name from the process of removing the interior lining of lath and plaster and uncovering the spatial potential hidden behind previous layers of inhabitation. The shell of the building, both its load-bearing masonry walls and its multi-faceted shaped roof, remains largely unchanged. Uncovered interior volumes become active participants in the recovered space. The interior demolition uncovered many opportunities to reshape the volume and recover disused space within the building shell. A hidden service stair was found, removed and its volume recovered for the galley kitchen. The removal of a flat ceiling on the third floor uncovered a beautiful series of triangulated sloped surfaces revealing a new spatial volume. Old interior interventions were removed to reveal forms already embedded in the shell waiting to be discovered and brought forward to engage in a new reading of the house.
large [medium] design office
doublespace photography
10 on site review 45: houses + housing
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