Studio North

Garden Garage

Garden Garage 

Studio North

Garden Garage
© Damon Hayes Couture

ARCHITECTS
Studio North

YEAR
2020

AREA
700 ft²

LOCATION
Canada

STEEL FABRICATION
Mercedes And Singh

CONCRETE
Cola Construction

MANUFACTURERS
Glenmore Doors, Lux Windows, Trimet

PRESENTATION DRAWINGS
Saara Preemji

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Recad

INTERIOR CARPENTRY
White Spruce Carpentry

DESIGN LEAD
Matthew Kennedy

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
Vaughn Electrical Services

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Aspen Industries

PARAMETRIC DESIGNER
Hayden Pattullo

CATEGORY
Extension, Sustainability & Green Design

Garden Garage
© Damon Hayes Couture

In the developed neighborhood of Upper Mount Royal, the Garden Garage addresses a typical conflict between yard and garage by hybridizing these typologies into two intersecting landscapes.

With an underused corner of their property that had excellent sun exposure and site access, the client approached Studio North with a request to create a building that enhanced both the backyard and driveway uses.

Garden Garage
© Damon Hayes Couture
Garden Garage
© Damon Hayes Couture

The new garage and shed roof allows the two planes of the driveway and the backyard to coincide and ultimately enhance both programs.

Above, a green roof and terraced planting extend the natural topography of the backyard into an elevated plane of natural vegetation, perfectly curating a view from the backyard over the surrounding neighborhood to the tree canopy and sky.

This roof serves as a natural attractor for bees and other life to flourish with its host of resilient native vegetation and south-facing orientation.

Garden Garage
© Damon Hayes Couture
Garden Garage
© Damon Hayes Couture

Careful drainage details on the roof include custom perforated scuppers at its edge to send excess water down into the adjacent planters below, which themselves have integrated drainage holes that allow for even nourishment as the water cascades down.

These corten planters are carefully massed with solid and open blocks that create levels for seating and for stair access up to the roof for maintenance.

Below, a garage for the client’s collector car features elevated rough finishes and ample natural light to create a habitable work and storage space.

Garden Garage
© Damon Hayes Couture
Garden Garage
© Damon Hayes Couture
Garden Garage
© Damon Hayes Couture

The datum of the topography outside carries inside with a horizontal material break between the steel bottom and the fir ply top.

Here, the steel base provides a resilient impact-resistant base condition to withstand heavy-duty work activity and the fir provides light reflection and airiness.

On the exterior front elevation, the garage’s material palette adopts a single black tone in shou sugi ban charred wood siding to contrast it with the landscape.

Garden Garage
© Damon Hayes Couture
Garden Garage
© Damon Hayes Couture
Garden Garage
© Damon Hayes Couture

This monolithic quality is punctuated only by the steel entry gate, which features a custom parametric laser-cut perforation pattern inspired by the vegetation beyond.

Together, the collision of material and texture between the garden and the garage meets to create a juxtaposition of softness and robustness. The rough, sharp-edged industrial palette of corten steel, charred wood, and rough fir plywood plays to the client’s interests in cars and mechanics for a personalized garage space.

Garden Garage
© Damon Hayes Couture
Garden Garage
© Damon Hayes Couture

Meanwhile, the greenery above becomes a countering palette of soft and delicate plant and animal life to enhance the feeling of natural immersion and escape from the surrounding city.


Garden Garage
Garage Axonometric

Studio North
T +1 403 478 1193
Studio North
915 9 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0S5, Canada