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Garden Garage / Studio North

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Garden Garage / Studio North - Exterior Photography, GardenGarden Garage / Studio North - Exterior Photography, DoorGarden Garage / Studio North - Interior PhotographyGarden Garage / Studio North - Exterior Photography, Facade, GardenGarden Garage / Studio North - More Images+ 10

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Garden Garage / Studio North - Exterior Photography, Waterfront, Garden
© Damon Hayes Couture

Text description provided by the architects. In the developed neighborhood of Upper Mount Royal, the Garden Garage addresses a typical conflict between yard and garage by hybridizing these typologies into two intersecting landscapes. With an underused corner of their property that had excellent sun exposure and site access, the client approached Studio North with a request to create a building that enhanced both the backyard and driveway uses. The new garage and shed roof allows the two planes of the driveway and the backyard to coincide and ultimately enhance both programs.

Garden Garage / Studio North - Exterior Photography, Garden
© Hayden Pattullo

Above, a green roof and terraced planting extend the natural topography of the backyard into an elevated plane of natural vegetation, perfectly curating a view from the backyard over the surrounding neighborhood to the tree canopy and sky. This roof serves as a natural attractor for bees and other life to flourish with its host of resilient native vegetation and south-facing orientation. Careful drainage details on the roof include custom perforated scuppers at its edge to send excess water down into the adjacent planters below, which themselves have integrated drainage holes that allow for even nourishment as the water cascades down. These corten planters are carefully massed with solid and open blocks that create levels for seating and for stair access up to the roof for maintenance. 

Garden Garage / Studio North - Exterior Photography, Garden
© Hayden Pattullo
Garden Garage / Studio North - Image 15 of 15
Garage Axonometric
Garden Garage / Studio North - Exterior Photography, Garden
© Hayden Pattullo
Garden Garage / Studio North - Interior Photography
© Damon Hayes Couture
Garden Garage / Studio North - Interior Photography, Garden
© Damon Hayes Couture

Below, a garage for the client’s collector car features elevated rough finishes and ample natural light to create a habitable work and storage space. The datum of the topography outside carries inside with a horizontal material break between the steel bottom and the fir ply top. Here, the steel base provides a resilient impact-resistant base condition to withstand heavy-duty work activity and the fir provides light reflection and airiness. On the exterior front elevation, the garage’s material palette adopts a single black tone in shou sugi ban charred wood siding to contrast it with the landscape. This monolithic quality is punctuated only by the steel entry gate, which features a custom parametric laser-cut perforation pattern inspired by the vegetation beyond.

Garden Garage / Studio North - Interior Photography
© Damon Hayes Couture
Garden Garage / Studio North - Interior Photography
© Damon Hayes Couture

Together, the collision of material and texture between the garden and the garage meets to create a juxtaposition of softness and robustness. The rough, sharp-edged industrial palette of corten steel, charred wood, and rough fir plywood plays to the client’s interests in cars and mechanics for a personalized garage space. Meanwhile, the greenery above becomes a countering palette of soft and delicate plant and animal life to enhance the feeling of natural immersion and escape from the surrounding city.

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Project location

Address:Calgary, AB, Canada

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
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Cite: "Garden Garage / Studio North" 11 May 2023. ArchDaily. Accessed 29 Dec 2024. <https://www.archdaily.com/1000825/garden-garage-studio-north> ISSN 0719-8884
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