Bloc_10 _ 5468796 Architecture _ CANADA

The project:

Bloc_10 is a multi-family housing project that strives to re-imagine and re-invent the market-driven condominium. Situated on the site of a former gas station, the developer wanted a modestly priced building designed and constructed within 12 months. The resulting three-storey, 10-unit condominium is modeled after a ‘white-box’ concept: each buyer purchases an unfinished unit with basic plumbing, heating and electrical systems installed, allowing them to decide which rooms and finishes they would like on each floor. 5468796 challenged traditional townhouse layouts with apartments that cross from one side of the building to the other as they ascend over three levels. This arrangement provides every unit with north and south views, and transforms eight into corner suites. To take advantage of the maximum allowable mass for the development, cantilevered projections expand rooms, create balconies and provide support for the screen of vertical wood slats that wraps the exterior. The screen provides each homeowner with privacy and shade, filtering surrounding views and creating a buffer against traffic noise. The screen’s sheer texture unifies the façade and gives Bloc_10 a distinctive identity within the neighbourhood.

© James Brittain Photography

© James Brittain Photography

© James Brittain Photography

© James Brittain Photography

Serving underprivileged families, Winnipeg’s Centre Village housing cooperative utilizes design to help revitalize a neglected inner-city neighbourhood and to provide its residents with a unique setting that inspires pride and community. The site was an abandoned lot zoned for six single-family houses. Instead, the

established a micro village of 25 dwellings within six, three-storey blocks. The blocks’ arrangement both defines and animates two public spaces – a through-street and a shared courtyard – that weave the city into the project and provide amenities for residents and neighbours. Each dwelling has its own entrance at grade or up an exterior staircase, reducing internal circulation and prompting residents to get to know one another.

© 5468796 Architecture