Overlooking downtown Calgary from the inner-city community of Albert Park, this quaint mid-century bungalow is an experiment in enhanced residential density. The Home Away uses a number of space-saving strategies to adapt the existing house to the client’s busy lifestyle so that friends, family, and work colleagues can comfortably stay and visit for short periods of time, depending on their ever-changing schedules. The main floor, basement, and garage have been sensitively redesigned and are in the process of being renovated to create three discrete and compact dwellings that share a common greenhouse space and courtyard.
The solarium addition to the south of the house was designed as an all seasons greenhouse that provides a shared indoor/outdoor gathering space, uniting all three dwellings. A terraced deck, with integrated garden planters and seating presents an array of potential configurations for relaxing and entertaining. The garden, designed in collaboration with local permaculturalists, is intended to thrive with minimal maintenance to suit the shifting schedule of the client. Taking advantage of the southern exposure, the translucent polycarbonate cladding allows soft, diffuse light to flood the space and give life to the garden. The diagonally braced lattice structure, designed to mimic a network of branches, creates a geometric dappling of shadows. The space is centred around a fireplace built into the entryway of the solarium, creating a small entry “hut” of charred cedar, following the Japanese technique of Shou Sugi Ban.