Wadhurst Rowhouse Predesign

We were tasked by a major developer to think about what might be possible on an awkward inner city parcel in the Wadhurst area of Edmonton. The requirement was for a townhouse with double garages accessed at the rear, so with the exception of a small main floor flex room, the living spaces are on the second and third floors.

While the overall massing is simple, it is eroded in an alternating pattern of boxes and sunken frames. Rather than a typical distribution of windows, we gave each principal room on the upper levels a very large window, inset from the facade and offset on each floor. These were then balanced with secondary, smaller shadowboxed windows.

The building is quite close to the street, so to provide a transition from the public to the private realms, we have raised the main floor up a few steps. This allows for a small outdoor living space in front of each unit.

The schematic design has evolved so the final building will look quite different, but we were pretty excited about this version and couldn’t help but share!

Architecture and Renderings: Gravity Architecture