Site-Specific Architecture: Homes By Design

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Designing a site-specific home requires a lot of artistry on behalf of the architect. 1. Architect Brad Lamoureux's Residence II is a contemporary home perfectly fitted to its steep West Vancouver location. 2. Architect Richard Horden's private residence in Poole Harbor, England mimics the natural geometry of its seaside location. 3. Architect Stephen Teeple has designed a house for a modern Toronto family that uses its ravine location as inspiration.

Concrete and Glass: Homes By Design

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Architects are exploring the technology of glass and concrete in creative ways. We look at three transparent expressions of contemporary architecture. 1. Architect Paul de Ruiter has innovated the indoor pool in a home just outside of Amsterdam by placing it in the middle of the house and enclosing it in glass. 2. Architect James Cheng has pushed the use of glass and concrete to new heights with a glass staircase and meticulous concrete construction in one family's Vancouver home. 3. Architect Derek Crain has designed a concrete and glass house in Ottawa that makes its residents feel part of their outdoor environment.

House and Garden: Homes By Design

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The garden is resurging as an essential component to making a home complete. 1. The Grey Walls in East Lothian Scotland, by architect Edward Lutyens and gardens by Gertrude Jeckle, is a traditional garden house transformed into a luxury hotel. 2. Architect Barry J. Hobin's Zambonini House in Ottawa has won multiple awards, and is a prime example of a house and garden that are built in harmony with each other. 3. Montreal architect Rene´e Daoust has designed an award-winning contemporary home with an Asian-inspired indoor garden in the heart of the Laurentians.

Respecting Tradition: Homes By Design

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In architecture, respecting traditions can be as challenging as creating something completely original. 1. Croce Di Bibbiano is a historical winery in the heart of Tuscany, which shows the old world charm of one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. 2. Architect Shiv Garyali has made a German family a true Canadian post-and-beam retreat in the heart of Whistler, BC. 3. Architect Brian MacKay-Lyons designed a modern and functional house on a hill inspired by the maritime history of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.

Seaside Homes: Homes By Design

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In capturing that perfect oceanfront view, architects must skillfully expose the intricate relationship between form and nature in homes literally built on the edge. 1. Torre del Pellicano, which is located in the small seaside town of Argentario, is a converted Spanish fort that has been transformed into a romantic Italian hideaway. 2. Architect Robert Mellin, has designed a home that pays homage to the Newfoundland seaside culture. 3. The Zen Beach house by Vancouver architect Brian Hemingway is a creative and intimate small space that is set in the beautiful scenery of Horseshoe Bay, Vancouver.

Teardowns and Infill: Homes By Design

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One way architects are responding to urban sprawl is by recycling prime sites in desirable urban neighborhoods where they either infill a new home or tear down an existing one. 1. Architect John Patkau creatively reused a narrow lot in English Bay to build a Vancouver home that features a glass lap pool on the roof. 2. Architect Jaume Bach built his Barcelona home by tearing down all but one wall of the house that previously stood on the lot. 3. Architect Barry J. Hobin has built a contemporary house on Ottawa's Rideau Canal where a garage once stood.

High Density Living: Homes By Design

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Architects are drawing people back to city centres by creating high-density residential space on previously industrial land. 1. Architect James Cheng's Denia combines apartment living with town-homes, retail and green space to create a community for its residents in downtown Vancouver. 2. Architect Peter Clewes's Tip Top Lofts stayed true to its art deco heritage. The old downtown Toronto factory was reinvented as high-density residential lofts. 3. Architect Andrew Beharrell's Angel Waterside project has revitalized an old wharf in London, England.

21st Century Contemporary: Homes By Design

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Today's contemporary architecture is distinctively cutting edge, modern and dares to challenge the traditional conventions of home. 1. Vancouver Architect Bruce Haden worked closely with his clients to create a contemporary home which displays their art and automobile collections. 2. Architect Paul de Ruiter combines form and function in a contemporary Dutch home that truly caters to the homeowners. 3. Architects Guillermo Ceppi and Veronica Silva designed themselves a home in Ottawa inspired by their South American heritage.

Innovative Renovations: Homes By Design

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It can be quite a tricky balancing act for architects to achieve a fresh design that is compatible with a building's original form. We look inside of three unusual renovations. 1. Montreal architect Henri Cleinge has made a former wine storage facility into a modern home and office. 2. The complete overhaul of a traditional Edwardian row home in Crouch End London by Niall McLaughlin and his team turned a dreary, poorly lit and designed house into a modern mansion. 3. Paul duBellet Kariouk's renovation of an Ottawa area apartment uses an innovative approach of sliding walls and doors. This makes it possible for the space to change from an open concept, to a more private retreat.

Rethinking the High-Rise: Homes By Design

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With new innovative designs, including 2-storey units, the reinvented high-rise is changing the face of cities. 1. The Glassworks, by architect Barry J. Hobin, is a loft-style condominium containing 31 units in a prime Ottawa location. 2. MVRDV designed the Silodam, which uses modern materials and spaces to create a play on traditional Dutch architecture. 3. The District Lofts, Peter Clewes's new building in downtown Toronto, uses space and orientation to maximize the view and position of units in the building.

Country Inns: Homes By Design

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Sometimes homes are preserved for their architectural beauty by reinventing them as country inns. 1. In the village of Vallvidrera, Barcelona sits this elegant neo-classical mansion built by a Cuban woman in 1900. It has been lovingly restored by owner Rosa Maria Escofet as a small hotel that she hopes will become a private home again one day. 2. The Claramount Inn and Spa in Picton, Ontario has recreated the traditional English country garden in the new context of the guesthouse. 3. Architect Doran Musgrove's design for The Morningside Bed and Breakfast, just outside of Victoria, B.C., complements the rustic nature of its surroundings, while showing the architect's influence of Wright's architectural principles.