A Garage and Carport in Toronto

This project consists of an enclosed detached garage and an open carport for a single family dwelling in Toronto.  A flat roof covers the two main spaces, with additional storage located within the garage.  The carport area is closest to the rear entry of the main house for convenient access.  Glazing above the rolling door, within the passage door and at the transom provide natural light.

Early in the design phase of the project, the emphasis was on enclosing 2 cars.  However, as the design progressed, it became clear to the owners that they wanted to also use the designated outdoor carport space for recreation and amenity.  The space is currently occupied with seating, resembling an outdoor living room.  It can still be used to house a vehicle - and most likely will during the winter months.  However, it is interesting to me (and also encouraging) to see the car take a secondary role.  

The main cladding material is a traditional bevel-shaped wood profile, expressed in a clear and simple manner.  A new screen adjacent to the neighbours shields the amenity space to create additional privacy.

As any development in the neighbourhood of Rosedale is subject to the review of the city's Heritage Preservation Services, it was important for the design to be contextual.  This was critical during the process of the Committee of Adjustment.  The application of new zoning bylaws on old neighbourhoods with an accumulation of built up density will often invariably result in a trip to the C of A.  The final design of the volume, material selection, window proportions, and colour palate was a response to the immediate context of the adjacent house and the neighbourhood.

Viewed from the sidewalk, I think the overall effect for a casual observer will be complementary.  Or at the very least, seen as a benign addition of a useful garage and carport / amenity space to an established streetscape.  

A Garage and Carport / Amenity Space in Rosedale

A garage with a carport / amenity space is the main function of this project, currently under construction in Toronto.  At the carport, the area can also serve as a sheltered outdoor family room in agreeable weather, depending on user preference.  Additional storage space is located within the garage, to absorb the various items typical of an active family.

As vehicles get typically wider and taller, a garage door opening size was selected to allow for a broad spectrum of car types to enter comfortably.  Glazing at the clerestory, as well as at the hinged door and transom, provide for daylight within.

Beyond and to the left of the flat roof supported by galvanized steel columns, one can see a Victorian version of a Tudor-style residence a few houses away.

 Any given project with a set program, placed in a different setting, will likely have a different outcome.  A garage in one part of the city, with a given client, will have different criteria to meet than with another.  Rosedale is a neighbourhood whereby any development is subject to review from Toronto’s Heritage Preservation Services.  The aesthetic result was in part a process in which comments from the HPS, the client, and other parties were incorporated to suit the context. 

Garage + Amenity

For this project, a new garage is desired to replace the old.  While enclosing two cars had previously been considered, it became evident during the design process that a layout enclosing one car plus an open carport / amenity space would be more useful for this family's needs.

As the rear yard is limited in size, the flexibility of use was deemed important - whether for parking, outdoor dining or lounging.  Within the garage, closets will allow for storage of seasonal items.  One closet faces the exterior for ease of access.

Clad with wood and cement panels, the colour palate relates to the main house.  Glazing at the entry door and the clerestories will allow for natural light to enter the interior.  While a garage is often seen as a prosaic structure, in constrained sites it helps to elevate its quality.

A Garage, Courtyard and Study.

This project proposes a new 2 car garage, a courtyard, and a renovation to the 1 storey structure at the back of a semi-detached home in the east side of Toronto.  With a grade difference of several steps rising towards the house, the new garage incorporates the steps within. 

A vegetated roof is proposed to increase the extent of green space, and to provide a pleasant view from the second floor of the main house.  The resulting courtyard creates outdoor amenity space and landscaped areas to accommodate outdoor dining and gardening.  A canopy provides shade at the corner windows of the 1 storey study, the accompanying deck, and steps.  Wood veneered panelling is proposed at two facades to create a consistent and warm character within the courtyards.  A trellis, with vines running along the garage wall will create a direct connection between the landscaping at grade and the vegetated roof.

The facade of the garage facing the laneway incorporates a clerestory window to provide natural lighting.  With glazed sliding doors at the courtyard side, natural daylight can enter from 2 facades.  The cladding proposed at the garage car entry is cement panelling – a robust material appropriate for a laneway that sees traffic from the commercial properties on the other side of the laneway.