Instar House, Toronto Contemporary Property, New Canadian Residence, Images
Instar House in Toronto
New Residence in Ontario, Canada – design by Atelier Reza Aliabadi > rzlbd
2 Sep 2016
Instar House
Design: Atelier Reza Aliabadi > rzlbd
Instar House in Toronto

Instar House is a minimalist three-storey wood & steel structure, which is located on the southern edge of Allenby, a neighbourhood on the border between North York and Toronto. While carefully responds to the needs and lifestyle of the clients, the house has moulted from the small foot-print of the two-and-a-half storey structure that had occupied the site since early 1950s and was infamously nicknamed as half-house.
 
The evolution of design was based on a clear distinction between two main volumes which are both stretched east-west: a larger one in grey that contains all the served spaces; and a smaller replica in black that accommodates all the servant spaces. In order to maintain a sense of autonomy all the major glazed openings on the larger volume are connected and the exterior of this modest monolithic mass is rendered in seamless stucco.
The staircase / void which sits on the centre of the larger volume, not only allows for visual communication, also divides each floor level into two sections: on the main floor, a living room on the west and a kitchen / dining banquette on the east; on the second floor, two bedrooms that are connected through a glass bridge which overlooks the kitchen and ...