Located in Thornhill, a community north of Toronto, Passage House responds studiously to context and a clear client brief. After purchasing and living in a 1970s home on the site that was poorly insulated and showing signs of deterioration, our clients came to us with a decisive vision: they wanted to build their “forever house” — a robust, hardwearing home for raising a family that would last for generations and eventually allow them to age in place. Achieving privacy on the busier street-facing side of the property was a high priority, as was their desire to take advantage of the sloping landscape to create a lush oasis at the rear. 

In response, we developed an architectural design that choreographs a progression from higher to lower ground, from public to secluded, from material to ethereal.

Clad in dove-grey brick, the front of the home is articulated as a series of layered volumes that guide the transition from street to foyer. A garden wall behaves as a frontispiece, helping define the entry procession and simultaneously shield the home office from view while letting light penetrate the quiet workspace. The tall glazing on the second storey suffuses the double-height foyer, stair, and upstairs corridor with light and provides views out to the neighbourhood without compromising privacy at grade.

Inside, the foyer fulfills its purpose as an entrance hall, but also functions as a passageway with various portals that lead into different spaces. The home office and living and dining rooms are all one step down from the entrance, signaling permission to settle deeper and unwind as one crosses the threshold from outer world into inner sanctum. The main living spaces issue forth from the passageway and central staircase, at once connected and separate yet united by unobstructed views of the trees and backyard. The stairs lead up to two children’s bedrooms and a principal bedroom, with an ensuite bathroom and walk-in closet, and down to the garden level, which includes a guest bedroom, family room, gym, laundry, and storage. We also prioritized the inclusion of an elevator to fulfill our clients’ aging-in-place mandate.

One of the key challenges was navigating the grade change from the front of the property to the back, which was further exacerbated by poor soil conditions. By embracing the topography, we turned this constraint into an opportunity, mirroring the movement of the terrain by bringing people from higher ground down towards the landscape. This required working closely with landscape architects and civil and geotechnical engineers from the outset to devise siting and foundation strategies and preserve mature trees. 

Because we nestled the house into a downslope, the upper stories were designed to cantilever out above the south-facing garden level and pool-side deck, providing a shaded area for gathering outdoors. Clad in a crisp white stucco, the rear façade gives the impression of having been carved out of stone: asymmetrical facets along the top floor extend out and splay between apertures, lending geometrical depth and a sculptural quality to the cantilevered composition. The full-height windows on the second level provide sweeping views while oversized bedroom windows on the third level offer sightlines to the tree canopy beyond. All glazing is triple-paned and recessed, protected by overhangs that reduce summer solar gain. With an exceptional building envelope approaching Passive House airtightness standards, Passage House is designed to endure and perform over decades.

Images: doublespace photography