R-CG Rowhouse Collaboration with RNDSQR

We've been working with RNDSQR to design a number of townhouse projects that take advantage of Calgary's R-CG district. In collaboration with Turbulentarch, we prepared renderings for most of these projects, and we are pleased to share them here.

KL26

KL26

This project in Richmond has two units that face the street and two that face the avenue. The dual-orientation of the building offers an intriguing new perspective to the typical rowhouse massing, breaking it up the volume of the building and giving interest to each of the street facades. Additionally, the building is designed to soften the distinction between the individual units so the composition of the building as whole is what stands out. 

AL48

AL48

This four-unit project in Altadore, like KL26,  has two units facing the street and two units facing the avenue. The material palette includes black vertical corrugated metal, white stucco and natural cedar in a chevron pattern. The broken-up massing and high-quality materials help make this project fit well within the surrounding neighbourhood.

AL50

AL50

Also in Altadore, this four unit project faces 16th Street SW. The vertical cedar screen is flush to the parapet but has a variegated lower edge that gives the facade an organic, playful feel.

CB05

CB05

This project is on an unusual site facing 5th Street SW, but rather than having a rear lane, it has a lane along the side of the building. Because this put the garages along one side, we configured the entries along a common walkway along the other. While the walkway is at grade, it isn't on the ground. The lower level of CB05 extends past the main entry walls and under the walkway, giving the residents a large flex space that could be used as a third bedroom or a lower entertaining space. This space is daylit by a long window well that extends almost the entire depth of the property. Privacy from busy 5th Street is achieved in part with brick screens that obscure views but allow light to filter both in and out of the unit.

SC32

SC32

In Richmond, a stone's throw away from the Marda Loop commercial district, this four-unit rowhouse building features glazed lofts, and distinct unit facades textured with stone, stucco and cedar. With raked windows and large sliding patio doors, the loft area becomes a large indoor/outdoor space.

Sharper Design

The Globe and Mail reports today on the subject of mid-rise design in Calgary. Our sister company, Gravity Architecture, is featured in good company. Pictured above is a project Gravity has been engaged by Bellaview Luxury Homes to design for a parcel on 12th Avenue SE adjacent to the Orchards development in up-and-coming East Victoria Park.

The article also discusses the Minto in Sunnyside project by Nyhoff and the Steps project by Sturgess.

SAM Award Winner

Congratulations to RNDSQR and Gravity Architecture for the BILD Calgary Region SAM Awards win this past weekend. The eight unit project the Gravity team designed for RNDSQR in Mount Pleasant won in the category of Best New Design Villa/Duplex/Townhome 1,200 sq. ft. and over.

This project is one of Calgary's first R-CG rowhouse projects. It features seven two-storey-plus-basement rowhouse units, plus an additional two storey unit located above the garages on the lane. The residents each have their own rear amenity space, and also share a common courtyard amenity space in the centre of the property.

Parkhill Rendering

We've recently rendered a trio of single units being built in Parkhill. The left most house in the image is built, and the rendering is intended to illustrate what the streetscape will look like when all three houses are completed.

When orchestrating a rendering, we understand that our clients are asking for an image that will advertise their buildings convincingly. A rendering must capture the lifestyle of the community and project the mood of future residents for it to tell a story that purchasers can imagine themselves a part of.

We rendered the image with an intentional colour palette in mind; honey to bring out the woods, deep grey to emphasize the modern lines of the infills and soft blues to contrast the honeyed wood and white stucco. Using the palette, we started to create patterns that contrasted and complimented the three new homes. For example, the honey-tones are reiterated in the lighting, landscaping and even in the people in the image. The overall image feels engaging, real, simple and clean, allowing the focus to be on the buildings and what it would be like to live in them.