Location: Toronto, Ontario
Size: 3,200 sq.ft. / 300 s.m.
Architecture/Interior Design: Dubbeldam Architecture + Design
Landscape Design: Dubbeldam Architecture + Design
Project Team: Heather Dubbeldam, Rachel Tameirao, Suzanna MacDonald, Joseph Villahermosa, Scott Sampson, Marisa Maggs
Photography: Scott Norsworthy
Contractor: Mazenga Building Group
Press Distribution: v2com

About Dubbeldam Architecture + Design

Dubbeldam Architecture + Design is a multi-disciplinary design studio committed to creating thoughtful projects that embody sustainable approaches. The studio’s portfolio includes a diverse range of projects in many sectors including commercial, institutional, hospitality, mixed-use a residential, as well as landscape design, product design, and architectural installations.

Along with over 50 design awards and wide recognition in national and international publications, Dubbeldam is the recipient of the Professional Prix de Rome in Architecture, one of the oldest and most prestigious prizes for outstanding achievement in Canadian architecture. With a commitment to design excellence and a focus on sustainability and wellness in architecture Dubbeldam is recognized for creating innovative, unique, and environmentally responsible design solutions for living, work and play.

This is a front view of the house with a wide concrete driveway adorned with grass and shrubs that bring color to the wooden tones of the house.

This is a closer look at the main entrance of the house with a wooden shiplap ceiling that matches the exterior walls that make the glass door stand out.

The living room has a gray sofa set paired with a wooden coffee table and a small side table. These are then complemented by the hardwood flooring.

The kitchen has a bright white L-shaped peninsula with gray cabinetry. This matches well with the breakfast nook that has a white dining table paired with white modern chairs.

This is the formal dining room with a wooden dining table surrounded by cushioned wooden chairs that pair well with the hardwood flooring.

This view of the hallway goes through the foot of the wooden stairs, the formal dining area and to the foyer on the far side.

This is a view of the hallway from the foyer side with a view of the wooden stairs and the living room area on the far side.

This is a look down the wooden stairs from the second level. You can see here the wooden steps complemented by the white walls.

The indoor balcony of the second floor has wooden railings and wood-paneled walls on its hallways.

This is a view of the back of the house showcasing the wooden deck flooring of the poolside area that match with the exteriors of the house with large windows.

A four-bedroom home in midtown Toronto designed by Dubbeldam Architecture + Design, Garden Circle House is a response to the client’s desire for a sustainable home inspired by nature, connected to the outdoors and awash in daylight.

The Dubbeldam team drew upon biophilic design strategies incorporating many key principles for building visual and non-visual connections with the outdoors. The biophilic design dates back to the mid-1980s, but in recent years it has become a larger part of sustainable practices due to the growing wellness movement and a greater desire to live and work in healthier interiors. The term describes a conscious effort to link the built environment to the natural world, through various sensory experiences including sight, sound, touch, and smell.

The house is imbued with wellness features, including a palette of natural materials, lush landscaping, and water features that offer both visual and auditory effects to enhance a sense of calmness. It also uses spatial strategies to maximize natural light and to visually connect to the outdoors through ample fenestration and elevated vantage points.

Upon entry into the house, a direct view to the backyard lap pool and landscaping is visible through a tall, narrow window on-axis. Looking back toward the front entry, a double-height space dramatically showcases the home’s dynamic spatial qualities, enhanced by the light that pours in from the tall windows and the abstracted shadows cast by the triangular light fixtures overhead.

Views are primarily oriented to the rear yard, with access through wall-to-wall sliding doors in the kitchen. A hot tub built into the hard-wearing Cumaru outdoor decking and firepit on the small patio transforms the backyard into a relaxing oasis for three out of four seasons.

A focal point of the interior is the central staircase crafted of solid mahogany and featuring open risers and a curved balustrade that emulates natural organic forms, inviting the hand to run along its sculptural contours. Light filters through an operable skylight, providing natural illumination and ventilation in the center of the home, while simultaneously offering a view of the sky.

Inspired by the client’s love for Prairie Style architecture, the exterior of the house incorporates horizontal planes and overhangs, and an earthy, natural material palette of brick, wood, and stone. Buff and grey-toned brick convey a sense of solidity while Western red cedar boards and mahogany-framed windows complement the warmth of wood.

Green roofs are integrated into each of the overlapping roof planes on the front and back of the house, while their soffits are detailed with Brazilian massaranduba. Integral to the front of the house is the pear tree that was retained on-site; located in front of the large dining-room window, its foliage casts an animated play of shadow and light year-round, while the scent of blossoms in spring and ripe fruit in autumn wafts through the open window.

Complementing the home’s biophilic design strategy is the prioritization of sustainability approaches and systems such as radiant in-floor heating, efficient high-velocity cooling, thermally superior wall assemblies, operable windows and skylights for natural ventilation and daylighting, LED light fixtures, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and durable, hard-wearing and low-VOC materials.