The architecture on this residence for a young couple is a study in strong simple composition and materiality with an emphasis on craft. The massing defines solid and void, captures natural light, and connects the indoors with the landscape, seeking to ‘experience the outdoors from within.’
“Bringing home all the splendor and respect that was lost with little care” was the challenge of the architect Cláudia Ascenso in the conception of the Loureiro house project.
The goal was to modernize and brighten what was a cramped and compartmentalized 1960s Brown and Kaufman home. Completed in two phases, several interior walls were first removed to open up the living space, bring in more natural light, and improve the overall flow.
The Pivot House is located on an irregularly shaped lot in a Burnaby suburb. Pinched on the north end and steeply sloped to the front door, the footprint of the house is shaped by the site, which fans out on the south, allowing for a broad walk-out living space.
Though many considered the lot to be unbuildable due to restrictive bylaws in the area, the clients and Measured found it to be the perfect opportunity to nestle a modern yet modest home into the semi-rural environment.
The Brick house was a collaboration with a family with four young children. Through discussions with the couple, it became clear that they wanted a clean modern brick house while at the same time it was important that the house encouraged play.
The office already was well informed about this terrain: neighboring the FL House, we knew that we needed to exploit the front of the lot overlooking the orange tree grove; and the back, with the dense native Atlantic Forest reserve landscape.
The reconstitution of the timeline shows that, in fact, we are not facing a building, but two buildings that have evolved into a single building. The initial building may have been erected in the late 14th or 15th centuries.
