The Sunrise House
Land, River and Sky; Joining as One
Ottawa River, Ontario, Canada, 2024
Architecture, Residential
Photo: Render of Front Entrance, done in Revit & Enscape
The Sunrise House is a 4 bed, 2 bath residential home designed in collaboration with MIA Ltd. for a client situated along the Ottawa river in Ottawa, Canada. The design parti or concept around the design is the setting sun and rolling waves on the river, both which embrace the land and water it comes from, and minimizes the impact of the form on the land.
Photo above: 1st iteration of design
Photo below: Elevations of final design
Typography Residential Home
Location Ottawa River, Ottawa, Canada
Photo: Render of Front Entrance, done in Revit & Enscape
Status Design Completed, Construction Underway
Photo: Floor Plans for the final design
Client Confidential
Canvas for the Sun
With the design of the facade of the residence, the parti of a rising sun was chosen due to the location of the house being on the Ottawa River. 12 curved beams were used to create the curve of the roof, which were then clad in zinc to allow the sun to reflect and colour it, while the walls themselves were clad in corten steel or concrete to give warmth in some areas while being a canvas for the sun in others.
At the entrance, arched beams are also repeated, with 6 beams being used to reinforce the profile of the house while also providing shade during the summer. Transom windows were also added to the south side to capture the summer sun while allowing privacy for the client.
For the garage, we gave it a more subdued profile to the main house, to accent but not overwhelm it. Zinc and concrete were mainly used for the purpose to blend it into the main house, but to not take away from the amber hues of the Corten steel mesh and stunning form of the arched beams.
Photo above: 2nd iteration of design
Radiant Planning
With the design of the floor plan, two axes are in play; the vertical being the public space; and the horizontal being the private space. This allows people that have stepped into this house for the first time to see a hierarchy of space in the building and be able to anticipate where rooms are located.
The benefit of this design ethos is that where the two axes intersect, a “radiant core” is created, aka the kitchen, living room and pool. These are the places with the most activity in the home, are the most public and are the central gathering spots for the family and guests living here.
With the design having an arched roof, the rooms also naturally change height based on their purpose, with the living room, kitchen and pool having a more open feel while the bedrooms have lower and a more intimate feel. This further helps make the transition from public to private more present, as well as follows our parti of a sun radiating.