For family living, the modernist paradigm of open space and floor-to-ceiling glazing has proven effective for many homes. It is not usually seen as the most suitable configuration when sharing contiguous space with elderly in-laws. The Ancaster Creek house, designed by the Toronto firm Williamson Williamson Architects, responds to this challenge with a contemporary approach that deftly balances autonomy and proximity.
The house, conceived by Williamson Williamson Architects as two distinct residences for a couple and their elderly parents, sits on a wide, verdant lot backing onto Ancaster Creek. Photo by Bob Gundu.
The design team was already renowned as creative thinkers and wood-innovation champions when it took on this commission, when the firm was still officially Williamson Chong. Past recipients of the Canada Council Prix de Rome, the RAIC Emerging Architecture Practice and the Emerging Voices Award from the Architecture League of New York, Betsy and Shane Williamson carried on with the Ancaster Creek project when former principal Donald Chong left the practice in 2016. The linear dining room offers sweeping views of the landscape.
Williamson Williamson were by that time becoming well-recognized for their immersion in the intricacies of multigenerational programming, a design challenge increasingly common in a society with a rapidly aging population. Their portfolio includes the award-winning Grange Triple Double, which houses two generations and a rental apartment. H...