Indesign has created a home to balance contemporary design with its elderly resident’s future needs.
The Ice Shore House was conceived by architect Gary Conrath, of Indesign, for an elderly resident wishing to move from her third storey residence to a ground level home.
Functionality combined with striking design as the Ice Shore House features extensive glass panelling, while a smooth level surface connects the city sidewalk, the parking space and the main entrance to facilitate eventual wheelchair use.
The idea of housing that can be adapted to accommodate significant life changes resonates throughout the project, with open, flat spaces found on two levels.
The ground floor includes essential living spaces including washroom and bedroom. The upstairs features a music room, study, artist’s studio and secondary washroom.
Demonstrating sensitivity to Verdun’s history are the suspended moulded-glass modules on the street façade, created by glass artist Diane Ferland.
This frosted veil, positioned before the 25-foot front window, evokes memories of the Dominion Glass Co., founded in 1905, as well as of the ice-cutters who were so important to the neighbourhood’s economy in the 19th century.
To better capture sunshine from the south, a central vertical window projecting above the roofline extends into a skylight feature.
A transparent section of floor in the middle of the upper level floods the centre of the ground floor with luminosity.
Wide windows allow the owner to enjoy either nature or the city without having to go outside: a starry sky above the pool, the shadows of trees and raindrops on the glass catwalk; and on the street side, pedestrians passing by and the colourful morning sky.
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