The Integral House by Toronto-based Shim-Sutcliffe Architects incorporates a 200-person performance space for music, and myriad sustainable features such as geothermal heating and cooling, a green roof, and vertical wood fins that provide sun shading as well as acoustical benefits. Materials were selected for their aesthetics as well as life-cycle costs.
Jury: “The relationship of the home to both its musical program and its surrounding environment was superbly articulated. … The louvered vertical fins modulate the light and views to the exterior surroundings, as well as correlate to music theory rooted in strong rhythm and syncopation.”
Client: “I had two major requirements. One, I wanted curves. Although Brigitte [Shim] and Howard [Sutcliffe] had not used curves in their previous work, they have come up with some particularly beautiful curves. … The other requirement was a performance space. And I think they’ve done a brilliant job of incorporating the performance space into the everyday workings of the house. It’s not a separate thing.” —James Stewart, owner
