Located in the vibrant, historic North End of Halifax, Nova Scotia on a narrow and abandoned lot. In the decades prior, the adjacent property was the site of a neighbourhood African Nova Scotia barbershop. The project was designed with the intention of becoming the primary residence of Omar Gandhi, his partner, and his son, sitting over top of what would become the architecture studios’ east coast home base. However, over the course of the build, the studio grew to a level that could no longer be accommodated in the modest space.
The formal massing is composed of a two-story, eastern white cedar-clad volume atop a buff-coloured, brick cradle. The house is predominantly inward-looking, with few visible windows looking out at the street or rear of the property. The upper wood volume, composed of the living amenities, has full-height glazing in both the kitchen on the second floor and the master bedroom on the third floor, hidden behind a western red cedar veil. The veil (or screen) provides privacy for both Gandhi and his family and those on the sidewalk below. In the evening, the screen monitor comes to life with a soft glow of warm light. The rear of the wood-clad volume includes a long wall-to-wall slot window at sitting height, which allows for a pleasant view of the brick courtyard and the (future) wall of climbing Boston ivy.
