PARALLELOGRAM HOUSE | 5468796 ARCHITECTURE
East St. Paul, Canada
Description provided by the architect. The Parallelogram House is a spacious bungalow for a young family of four located in East St. Paul, a bedroom community just north of Winnipeg. Located on a typical suburban street, the home stands in quiet and refined contrast to its stucco-clad neighbours.
While the client preferred a one-storey layout, they believed that their required program would only fit within a two-storey volume based on the lot size and setback restrictions. By skewing the floor plan into a parallelogram, the increased footprint could accommodate their needs on a single level, facilitating ease of movement throughout the house that is well-suited for a family with children. The angled plan also opens the home up to broader views over the tree-filled backyard.
On the exterior, the house is clad in naturally stained, vertical wood siding that wraps onto the underside of the roof overhang above. The overhang covers open patios and screened porches to complete the parallelogram, supported by a series of u-shaped, Cor-Ten steel columns that screen views into private rooms and evoke the stand of existing trees on the site.
Inside, the main living space is characterized by generous, 11 foot high ceilings and an open
plan that flows freely around a floating utility box containing the kitchen pantry as well as a
walk-in closet and bathroom. The wood-clad volume helps define the entry and dining room
and provides a buffer between the living area and the circulation space to the garage and
basement.
The bedroom wing is separated from the living space by a white metal screen that extends the geometry of the exterior columns into and through the house. A simple and muted palette highlights the interior volumes, with a sequence of light wells and skylights drawing daylight from the main floor all the way through to the finished basement.
Project Facts:
Architect: 5468796 Architecture
Client: Private
Location: East St. Paul, Manitoba
Project Area: 2 700 sqft + garage + full basement
Project Year: complete 2015
Budget: withheld
Photography Credit: James Brittain Photography + 5468796 Architecture
