HEALTH AND WELLNESS IN ARCHITECTURE BY DENISE SANTINI, RED STUDIO INC. ARCHITECTS Quite frequently, I am asked why we named our firm Red Studio. I cannot deny a passion for the colour red, but it also stands for our mission: Re-defining Environmental Design. We have always taken a unique approach to sustainability in architecture, centering around human health and wellness. Our work is embedded in the notion that we are all products of our environment. We believe that environmental preservation is paramount since there can be no human health without a healthy planet. Today, we share a home we designed named Equilibrium House to explore how sustainability, health and wellness was integrated into the design of a home for a young, active family. It is a home that reflects our holistic design philosophy. We paid careful attention to the indoor environment, while achieving a high degree of sustainability in the home's construction and operation. Energy
8 | the COLLECTION
efficiency, on-site power generation, water conservation and reuse, use of low-toxicity materials, increased air filtration, daylighting and increased ventilation were incorporated into the design. Of course, just as in nature, these things do not stand in isolation; often, what is good for the planet is also good for our health. In architecture, it all begins with the site. This new home is located on a prominent corner lot in Toronto's west end. The site layout balances the client's desire for privacy, while incorporating daylight and views to the exterior. The design concept is comprised of two offset rectangles connected through a highly transparent "bar" that welcomes you into the home and bridges the indoor and outdoor. It allows light to flood into the house at a central point and connects the home's various courtyards – rear, lower, upper terrace and front entry. The home's configuration
