CARLYLE SEMI

This infill development consists of the renovation of an existing century old house and 2 new semi-detached homes facing Carlyle Avenue. The design began with the intent to preserve the existing house and the stand of mature street trees along Carlyle. The result is a playful light-filled “treehouse-like” semi-detached in the rear yard of the original home.

Each side of the freehold semi is unique in plan and form with parking discretely accessed from a rear lane. The semi-detached reinterprets vernacular neighbourhood elements, such as the dormer and bay window, in a contemporary expression. The massing is articulated with a series of smaller forms shifting amongst the trees. The northern unit steps back on the third-floor, while a modern dormer that echoes the large dormer of the original house, projects forward. In the southern unit, a modern bay window cantilevers out into the trees while the third floor steps back to produce a roof deck. The built form responds to its context and in turn a material palette (which includes cedar, metal, glass and cement board) reinforces the built form.