Project Details
- Project Name
- DW Lofts
- Architect
- Taylor Smyth Architects
- Project Types
- Custom
- Size
- 15,000 sq. feet
- Year Completed
- 2008
- Shared by
- Taylor Smyth Architects
- Project Status
- Built
Project Description
The DW Lofts were originally built in the mid 1970’s as rental units in a mixed use residential/commercial development. Their unique design allows the units to extend from the front to the back of the building with natural light at each end. This is achieved by entering at one level and then moving either up or down a level.
The units come in a variety of sizes, but all units are two storeys. The largest units are organized around an interior courtyard, open to the sky, flooding the interiors with natural light.
In warm months, doors at each end of the courtyard can be slid open to provide a seamless connection between inside and outside. This connection is reinforced through the use of a wall of stone that begins in the dining room, extends out into the courtyard, and reappears again in the kitchen on the other side of the courtyard. The kitchen counter also extends out into the courtyard to contain a built-in barbecue.
The units were gutted and completely redesigned with new mechanical and electrical systems. A rich material palette of rift cut oak for floors and built-in millwork, stainless steel and glass, along with custom designed kitchens, provides a sense of luxury. The courtyard is decked in Ipe that wraps up onto the planter along the stone wall. Up a level, the master bathroom has its own walk out deck, also clad in Ipe.