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For its many striking features, the Edwardian home was congested and largely in disrepair. The brief was sweeping and specific: retrofit and revitalize a historic structure with heritage components; execute respectful expansions; redesign formal spaces to create a welcoming atmosphere and fluid program; optimize circulation and energy efficiency; and introduce additional daylight and views to Lake Ontario.
Our top-to-bottom renovation and restoration features a new wing and penthouse bedroom suite that harmonize with the preserved heritage façade. The interior architecture is warm, elegant, and entirely bespoke: sculptural staircases, white steel columns with marble inlays, bronze screens and hardware, and oak floors and millwork are all contemporary gestures that honour original details.
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House on the Park sits in Wychwood Park, a historic enclave within a wooded area in midtown Toronto. The penthouse storey features green roofs and forges new views to the adjacent woods, city skyline, and Lake Ontario to the south; the new wing interfaces with a reconceived entrance procession, garden, and driveway. We worked with Janet Rosenberg & Studio to develop a landscape strategy that seamlessly knits the property’s various garden elements into Wychwood Park’s natural character. The formal front garden transitions into a more naturalized planting strategy along the ridge at the rear that cascades down into a ravine. A pool, spa, and pavilion with integrated bar and fire features sit behind a gate and green hedge on the property’s west side. All existing mature trees were preserved.
We pursued an innovative retrofit strategy to maintain the heritage exterior and bring the home into compliance with contemporary performance requirements. The existing masonry shell comprises brick and limestone exterior layers and terracotta blocks that provide internal structural support. We lab-tested the terracotta to see if we could ventilate it properly under sealed conditions and determined a strategy that would allow us to retain it. As such, we were able to implement a modern wall assembly to support the original shell, amplify durability and indoor comfort, reduce maintenance and energy demands, and maximize long-term performance. It also allowed us to use existing materials and minimize construction waste while preserving the building’s embodied carbon and heritage character.
One of the project’s most complex and exciting feats was the custom-design and fabrication of two new statement staircases: a sinuous blue stair that unfurls like a wave to connect all floors, from the renovated basement to the top-floor addition, and a white statuesque steel ribbon lined with oak elements in the double-height atrium space. Built with steel and wood, the stairwells reimagine former ones and introduce handwrought artistry and an element of whimsy. We used modeling software as a parametric sculpting tool to create 3D digital geometries from 2D drawings that our fabrication partners translated into sound structural entities. Challenged to create the appearance of visually continuous spirals across storeys under non-linear conditions, we could not simply apply a linear mathematical rule to achieve a consistent curvilinear shape due to varying floor thicknesses at each level of the century-old house.
A new oak herringbone floor pays homage to the original, and custom oak millwork across all floors includes portals that contain concealed swinging or sliding doors that either sequester or reveal hidden rooms. The updated floor plan layers spaces and infuses them with colour, personality, and unexpected contrasts to soften the home’s formality. We developed a wide-ranging interiors scheme in collaboration with Pencil Design that features bespoke elements, including tailor-made linen finishes for the curved atrium walls and various bronze, marble, and wood elements.
Superkül worked diligently to address all of the issues presented by the older home and reimagine it completely. Their designs sought to preserve and celebrate the home’s original character while ensuring that both the old and new spaces met our family’s needs and sensibilities. Attentive and creative, Superkül’s floorplans and additions introduced new sightlines within the house and views to outside as well as artful staircases and architectural details. We are so proud of the collaboration.
Superkül delivers eloquent architecture of enduring value across scales and typologies. With every project, our objective is always to find ways to do more with less; design for the present while anticipating the future. We prioritize fluidity, functionality, and sustainability to create luminous spaces that are inclusive and uplifting.
Our diverse portfolio of work is notable for sophisticated yet simple design. We revere context and embrace complexity to execute context-driven architecture that responds thoughtfully to site, urban fabric, and clients’ ambitions. With every project, we balance a scrupulous attention to detail, light, and clean craftsmanship with purposeful connections to the larger built and natural environments.
Dedicated to sustainable design, we deploy the most current material, technological, and construction solutions. We find inspiration in working with like-minded clients and collaborators to build a more resilient, responsible, and resplendent world.
