Howland Residence, designed by Williamson Chong Architects.
Bob Gundu Howland Residence, designed by Williamson Chong Architects.

This three-story, turn-of-the-century house is located in Toronto’s Annex neighborhood, an area traditionally populated with students from the nearby University of Toronto. Local firm Williamson Chong Architects turned this neglected brick structure into a multigenerational home, with room for a young family, their grandparents, and a unit for student renters. Service space and family space are organized around a curved wooden staircase—with integrated storage and usable surfaces—that serves as the center of the 2,300-square-foot home. “It has a level of exquisite compositional and material precision that I think really finds a way of blending hard edges and curves,” said Juror Joel Sanders. The warm wood paneling continues through to the living spaces on the second level, strategically deployed as wayfinding and a division of space. Existing historic details, such as a carved balustrade, were restored and carry through to the third floor. “It's a very inviting insertion into this historic house,” juror Gregory Hoss said, noting that “it's just enveloped in warmth. I love it.”

Click here to see all of the winners of the 2014 Residential Architect Design Awards.

Renovated second floor.
Bob Gundu Renovated second floor.
Renovated yard and rear facade.
Bob Gundu Renovated yard and rear facade.
Interior.
Bob Gundu Interior.
Renovated exterior.
Bob Gundu Renovated exterior.
Wood stair volume.
Bob Gundu Wood stair volume.
Existing yard.
Courtesy Williamson Chong Architects Existing yard.
Existing street-facing facade.
Courtesy Williamson Chong Architects Existing street-facing facade.
Existing interior stair.
Courtesy Williamson Chong Architects Existing interior stair.
Stair leading to second floor.
Bob Gundu Stair leading to second floor.

Drawings

Floor Plans.
Courtesy Williamson Chong Architects Floor Plans.

Project Credits

Project  Howland Residence, Toronto
Architect  Williamson Chong Architects, Toronto—Donald Chong, Betsy Williamson, Shane Williamson (partners); Chris Routley (project architect); Vlad Berezovskiy
General Contractor  Derek Nicholson
Structural Engineer  Blackwell Engineering—Ethan Ghadoni
Custom Millwork  KGA Custom Kitchens—Khang Li
Photography  Bob Gundu  
Project Size  2,300 square feet
Construction Cost  $265 per square foot

Materials and Sources

Bathroom Cabinets  Custom by KGA Custom Cabinetry
Bathroom Fittings  Vola vola.com
Cooktop  AEG aeg-appliances.ca
Countertops  Caesarstone caesarstoneus.com
Flooring  Stone Tile stone-tile.com
Insulation  Roxul roxul.com
Kitchen Cabinets  Custom by KGA Custom Cabinetry
Kitchen Fittings  Vola vola.com
Lighting Fixtures  Eurolite eurolite.com
Paints and Finishes  Benjamin Moore & Co. benjaminmoore.com
Refrigerator  Liebherr www.liebherr.us
Windows  Custom Sapele windows by Fusil