Completed in 2011, the 12,000-square-foot condominium complex, Bloc_10, incorporates box design to differentiate among its 10, three-story condos that each contain three separate living spaces.
Floor plates stagger outward from a central spine, allowing eight of the 10 units to have an additional facing in addition to each's north and south exposures.
A wooden screen shields outdoor decks from nearby traffic noise while framing the light that enters the living units.
Six-foot-deep cantilevered projections on alternating levels add to useable floor space.
At 15,000 square feet, the 25-unit Centre Village housing co-op was completed in 2010.
According to 5468796 architecture co-founder Johanna Hurme, the project's central courtyard not only extends the units' private spaces but also acts as a "suggested boundary" between the surrounding public spaces.
A central spine anchors 8-foot-by-12-foot and cantilevered 14-foot-by-12-foot modules.
Hurme says that at first the firm wasn't sure its bold aesthetic would resonate with potential local clients. "We found a lot of people were hungry to see something different in the marketplace," she says. "And that's what we've been trying to pursue ever since."
The 8-foot central band allows for each unit to have cross-ventilation and multiple facings. Most units have at least eight windows.
The orange color is used on interior ceilings and extended outside via custom-welded aluminum window cowlings.
5468796 architecture co-founders Johanna Hurme and Sasa Radulovic
