Modern Canadian Homes Showcase Clever Entryways
From hidden doors to sculptural steps, the entrances to these Ontario, Canada, dwellings make homecoming a special pleasure
John Hill
August 13, 2012
Houzz Contributor. I am an architect and writer living in New York City. I have Bachelor of Architecture and Master in Urban Planning degrees, and over ten years experience in architectural practice, split between Chicago and NYC. Currently I'm focused on writing and online pursuits. My daily blog can be found at http://archidose.blogspot.com
Houzz Contributor. I am an architect and writer living in New York City. I have Bachelor... More
Previously, I've discussed different ways of creating a sense of entry in modern designs, through entrance canopies and elevated walkways. This time I'll look at more ways of defining entrances in modern houses. Instead of sharing formal traits, though, the following examples are united in their geography — all are in Ontario, Canada (and the photos come from a couple of Canadian photographers with sharp eyes).
In general, I'm intrigued by the houses. They are restrained in their use of glass, and it's well positioned to increase sunlight. Their regional modernism exhibits a warm and embracing balance of solid and void, brick (or wood or steel) and glass, but I'm especially drawn to their front doors. Each house has a unique entry that can teach us a little something about making the act of coming home special.
In general, I'm intrigued by the houses. They are restrained in their use of glass, and it's well positioned to increase sunlight. Their regional modernism exhibits a warm and embracing balance of solid and void, brick (or wood or steel) and glass, but I'm especially drawn to their front doors. Each house has a unique entry that can teach us a little something about making the act of coming home special.
This three-story house in Toronto, by nkArchitects, takes advantage of its corner lot through large windows overlooking the streets. The front door is integrated into the first floor's horizontal expanse of glass; a cutout on the short side signals the front door.
Wood slats highlight the entrance from the long side while providing some privacy.
The front door is recessed into the rectangular block of the brick house, sheltering residents and visitors before they go inside. The location of the simple house numbering also makes the entry clear.
The house has a detached garage, meaning the residents probably use the back door more often than the front (a fairly common suburban condition). The architects carried through various motifs from the front of the house: wood slats, a concrete wall and steps, a simple steel railing.
This house, also located in Toronto and designed by nKArchitects, has an interesting mix of traditional and modern going on. A gable roof that runs parallel to the street is notched out on the upper floor, revealing windows above a brick base that has a substantial cutout for the entrance and garage.
Within the wood-lined cutout is a black box that projects over the garage (the horizontal windows make the room behind it seem like a lookout). The garage and entry walk are at the same grade, but a partial-height wall separates the two zones.
The concrete steps, integrated with the wall separating them from the driveway and planter beds, reminds me of Carlos Scarpa's Olivetti Showroom in Venice, one of the most beautiful modern stairs ever.
This ski chalet in Ontario, designed by AKB, makes it a bit tricky to find the front door. Is it up the stairs on the left? That was my first guess, assuming the top floor is the main living area and the lower floor is where the bedrooms are located. That assumption about stacking is accurate, but the entry location is incorrect.
The front door actually sits behind the vertical wood slats on the lower floor. Half of this wall is solid and half is porous; the latter defines one side of the entry steps. Per the plans on this building review, after skiers ascend the stairs and enter the front door, another set of stairs after a right turn gives them the option of heading up to the open-plan top floor.
This compact modern house, designed by Taylor Smyth Architects, gets a very strong sense of entry from the golden-tone wood on the first floor, which looks even stronger awash in lights in the evening. The horizontal wood panels (wood fiber resin panels, per some comments on Houzz) seamlessly run to both the front and garage doors. The skinny double columns centered on the front facade are a nice touch.
The full-height sidelight beside the front door allows residents to see who's knocking. This allows for a solid front door in keeping with the rest of the first floor.
This Toronto laneway house designed by Setless Studio has an almost invisible front door. Is it to the left of the bushes? Is it off this alley? If so, where? The glass gives a hint, even if the Corten steel panels don't.
Below the tall window sits the front door, which matches the rest of the wall but is slightly wider than the other panels.
Yet another means of access does lie behind the bushes, set back from the street. This is the entry that the residents most likely use, a more open and inviting way of coming home.
This last example is a conversion of a 19th-century rooming house into apartments in Toronto, designed by Creative Union Network. The new pieces do not stand in opposition to the old, but work with it in interesting ways. The entry becomes a portal through projecting steel plates lining the recessed opening; the wood-slat steps float above rocks; and a minimal railing is the last piece in this simple entry palette.
I love the way the address, 113 Wolseley Street, is cut into the rusty steel (note the Creative Union cutout at bottom). This sort of attention to detail helps make the entry special.
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This modern architecture uses materials like it's crossing off a wish list. Sorry, I agree with all the comments that speak of them being out of context with their surroundings.
Too many architects are trying to create their own language and break the rules to stand out from the pack.