Cabbagetown Residence: A Contemporary Addition and Renovation of A 120-Year Old Home

Cabbagetown Residence is a 120-year old home located in a heritage neighborhood, Toronto’s Cabbagetown. The design challenge of this residential project for Dubbeldam Architecture + Design is achieving the renovation and contemporary addition. The architect also fulfills the Toronto Historical Board requirement for this project.

Addition

The front facade of this home is maintained and respected to keep the character of the surroundings. The rear-facing new addition is modern, adding more stylish style into this home. There are some key requirements of the clients such as the incorporation of sustainable systems and materials, enhanced line of sight through space, and access to natural light.

Design

The new design for Cabbagetown Residence is made by eliminating the corridors then combine it with a vertical spin for the circulation. This way makes the rooms feel larger and connected to each other. The open plan is also used to connect the various rooms and keep providing a division which is soft between the spaces through the built-in elements, partial walls, and floor heights.

Details

There is an open riser stair inside the house, highlighted by a long skylight and draw light into the interior. By eliminating the corridors, now natural light can flow freely from the skylight and windows into the house. It can energize the internal spaces of the home and provide enough lighting during the days.

On the laneway façade, the full-height glazing combines the low-E coatings by taking some advantages of the southern orientation. It can maximize the solar gain for the house when the cold winter comes for months. The warmness of the house interior can be kept, providing a comfortable living place to stay.

Some operable blinds and lush deciduous trees can work together to regulate the temperature of internal space when summer comes. It also provides visual privacy, especially for the occupants. The windows and energy systems of the house are upgraded, the walls are insulated, and the sustainably-harvested Jatoba wood flooring is also used throughout.