峡谷住宅（峡谷别墅）丨加拿大多伦多丨Hariri Pontarini Architects

Ravine House

Toronto, ON

Located within a large ravine system in a North Toronto neighbourhood, this family residence’s form and spatial configuration relate directly to qualities found on site. The 11,600-square-foot home establishes a dialogue between street and wooded valley, articulated through a play of light, volume, and material.

Crafted in limestone and roughcast stucco, the exterior fits the neighbourhood’s character. The solid mass of the slightly curved façade presents a subdued and private face to the street. As one moves through the interior, the large windows open the house to the ravine, creating a feeling of spaciousness and the sense that the backyard is a tree-walled room.

Structural steel framing, with chimneys used as lateral bracing, allows for expansive interiors. Carefully placed windows enhance views and maximize light. A consistent palette of limestone and walnut flooring flows through the space and creates a feeling of sophisticated comfort.

In keeping with the home’s relationship with nature, the building process was carefully managed to minimize damage to the surrounding habitat, reduce construction waste, and reuse materials. The completed design achieves the client’s desire to create an enduring generational home, and in so doing, evokes a sense of permanence.

Project Facts

Location

Toronto, ON

Status

Completed 2006

Size

11,600 sq. ft.

Partner

Siamak Hariri

Selected Awards

2010 – Building Stone Institute, Tucker Design Award

The L-shaped residence employs two volumes with carefully choreographed openings, each addressing the public street while preserving domestic privacy. The rear of the house takes advantage of the picturesque ravine landscape by maximizing the flow of natural light into the space and providing stunning landscape views.

Employing a vocabulary of enduring materials—French limestone, roughcast stucco, and teak windows and doors—the house underscores the client’s desire to create a generational home.

"[...] every single day we enjoy the house. We enjoy the home. We enjoy the design. Siamak loves to remind us of the different moments that we would experience in the house, and every day we enjoy the moments. [...] We love coming home, we enjoy being here and it’s a beautiful house."

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