PATCHING WINTER GARDEN HOUSE

ARC361Y1 (Architecture Studio) Petros Babasikas 2022 FALL

Inspired by Craven Road House, where different spatial volumes were patched together through addition, subtraction, and division, I decided to explore how Patching, Modularity, and Materiality can connect and assign the site with multiple spatial qualities. I also took inspiration from my Kensington urban analysis, where I found out different threshold instances, such as extended facades, fences, canopies, and patios were used to form Kensington’s complex urban morphology. Therefore, my building serves as a magic box, where it can unfold with multiple layers of meanings, and the same spatial principle is still revolving throughout the overall form, structure, to the urban context.

The work-live scenario in my project is a small family business run by Chinese immigrants, in which they are selling dried seafood to the people, and so the entrance is composed of operable doors. Such treatment allows the ground floor to become an extension of the sidewalk, bringing people from Augusta Avenue into this semi-public retail space.

In terms of materiality, the transparent polycarbonate facade enveloped the building into a translucent greenhouse that can capture, preserve, and release heat. Moreover, I have used fins as a facade element to highlight the dynamic rhythm that is created by the building’s openings.

The existing laneway serves as a logistical zone for the truck to unload commodities and transport them to the basement. These commodities will send to the ground floor and the mezzanine floor through the central loading platform.

Structural Analysis

The Winter Garden House consists of a modular structural system that includes a core, steel frame, beams, and fins, where the core serves as a structural component in dividing the space into commercial, living, and circulation. This structural feature becomes a service unit in providing mechanical and water supply to the inhabitants.