Kitchener ON / 2018
WEDGE HOUSE.
As the old railways crisscrossed and bisected our City, they did so with their usual efficiency and urban apathy, leaving many orphaned and irregular parcels of land in their wake. One such area is located at the interruption of York Street where it abruptly converges with a spur line.
Applying the usual orthogonal mindset and additive methodology to this triangular leftover would prove difficult.
A three-dimensional form of the entire site was extruded up to the permissible maximum height. Removed from it, were the various setbacks to comply with regulatory requirements and optimize the building’s relationship with its surroundings.
The resulting building mass is the bespoke architectural carving that stands on the site today. Its exterior treatment and finer details too, are appropriately understated to reinforce rather than detract from this defining sculptural feature.
Urban Design Excellence Award / Low-Rise Category 2023 Great Places Awards