On a narrow street of Victorian working-class cottages in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood, the Bishop Street Residence is the conversion of a post-industrial building from a graphic design firm’s offices to a two-bedroom residence.
The design addresses the tightness and public nature of its urban site with the creation of a private courtyard with a plunge pool through the addition of a freestanding garage. The dynamic exterior composition consists of a material palette of black standing seam zinc, grey concrete block, stucco and clear anodized aluminum. Ipe, a sustainably harvested rainforest wood, is incorporated on the gate to the courtyard at the front entrance, on courtyard walls, and on the deck, to bring warm, natural touches to the project.
Inside, the existing steel structure was modified, exposed and painted black. The ground floor integrates the living room, dining room and kitchen in one open space. White walls and ceilings with black feature walls and a tinted concrete floor create a gallery-like setting to showcase the owner’s extensive collection of furniture, photography, lighting, and sculpture. In the dining room, a custom wine cooler is encased by floor to ceiling glass that creates an illusion of floating wine bottles inside clear plexiglass boxes.
A subsequent owner commissioned the architects to explore the addition on top of the garage of a spa retreat with cold plunge, sauna and shower.
