Kitchener ON / 2022
MARKET FLATS.
Approaching downtown and along the main street of Kitchener, this project inserts itself into a line of properties where every building wants to fill in and form up, into a frontage - into that defining image of the city, the backdrop for civic life and lasting impression for all those staying, coming or going. That is not to diminish the other half of their dual purpose, which is to guard the more intimate neighbourhoods and private two-storey brick homes on forty-foot lots, just beyond.
The essence of this building and its architecture is that of a shield or a mask. A pragmatic and sensibly clad block of residences wears a more proper veil of opulence and formality as it addresses the street, with silvery corrugated metal siding juxtaposed with smooth black panels and green accents. In a singular instant, bright and utilitarian, symbolically interlock with dark and orderly, reflecting the complexities and nuances of its context.
