Located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the original two-story 1,600-sqft (149-sqm) house was remodeled and expanded by a rear addition. Urban Ravine House, designed by Bortolotto Design Architect Inc. in 2012, now is a four-story residence of 4,000ft² (372m²).
The house now has two faces, the traditional one facing the street and a modern one open to the ravine. At the rear of the house which faces south, the inside is connected to the rear yard ravine through views to the spectacular landscape, the city and sky, where outdoor decks and steps lead down the sloped forested yard. Natural light is introduced to the centre of the house from the roof to the ground floor through a continuous vertical opening of a glass and wood central staircase via a skylight. With design emphasis on openness and brightness, the fluidity of the house is reinforced by opening it up to natural light with the use of translucent walls and surfaces, and a double height space that serves the main living area; the family room. Overhangs at the south side are introduced to keep direct sunlight from entering through the glazing during summer months.
— Bortolotto Design Architect Inc.
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Photographs by Bortolotto Design Architect Inc.
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