Augusta Residence
Set at the apex of a tight corner along a street lined with historical and stately Victorian homes in downtown Port Hope, this steep ravine site had never been developed. The design began with a desire to preserve a view to the ravine for the community to continue to enjoy, as they traveled into the centre of town; even with the presence of a building.
The solution is a home which offers transparency and a minimal profile. To the public, the massing of the three-bedroom home is an inviting one-and-a-half stories, with a double car garage inconspicuously tucked below the entrance level. Picture windows allow for views directly through the house to the ravine beyond. At the rear, the house is carved into the hill, three stories high, with expansive glazing and views to the forest.
A covered entrance porch hovers over the ravine and gives a sense of being up in the tree tops as you enter. Once inside, the plan opens onto a series of levels, offering surprising connections between the activity of the street and the stillness of the forest. From the living spaces on the main level, the stair leads down to the bedrooms, a workshop and a painting studio, and up to the primary suite and then a study on the highest level. Rounding the stair reveals calculated views to the ravine both directly and through the main living areas.
Insulated concrete formwork was chosen based on its superior thermal and acoustic properties and to facilitate structural requirements for building into the steep slope. In the winter, the thermal mass of concrete combined with radiant floors and the expanse of south windows have proven to keep the home comfortable with a low supply of mechanical heat. During the summer, large overhangs and the canopy of deciduous trees help to keep to home at a cool. A ‘pop-up’ study at the highest level of the house warms up during the summer and draws cooler air from the windows at the ravine level below. Ceiling fans and this natural ‘stack effect’ ventilation have made it possible to eliminate mechanical cooling all together.