In this multigenerational home for a young couple and their parents, the programmatic needs of the clients provided an interesting challenge: the project had to accommodate two distinct units (primary and secondary), each with their own private indoor and outdoor spaces, guest quarters as well as common outdoor space and shared amenities. Views into and out of the two units had to be choreographed to maximize south-eastern openings to the lake while maintaining privacy between each unit as well as between the units and the neighbor. To allow the parents to age into the house, the house had to be developed on the ground floor.
The resulting architectural approach was to consider the project as a village, a collection of buildings each with their own function, separated by laneways. A large roof unifies the different blocks, turning some laneways into indoor space. The center of the roof is cut out to bring in more natural light into the center of the building. This creates an interior courtyard to be shared by both units. Finally, a mezzanine space pushes out through the roof line providing an office for the young couple that is removed from the domestic space.