MoDA creating unique, private residences
Some of Calgary’s larger architectural firms have been facing a bit of a dry spell due to the lack of big projects on the horizon. It will be a while before any more downtown office towers appear on drawing boards and we are still plagued by the fact some developers feel they need a “starchitect” on any design team, although we have lots of creative talent here.
Multi-family residential is still a hot commodity, the industrial market offers new and renovation projects, and there is some good news on work ramping up in the oil and gas industry. But as firms are forced to reconsider their focus, MoDA (Modern Office of Design + Architecture) is one that is making waves with a focus on custom designed single-family residential.
Partner Dustin Couzens says that market has changed over the past 10 years or so. He believes Calgary has matured from a rather transient city — a place to work versus a place to live and build a dream home.
Now, with a growing population that is making a permanent home here, many more people are looking for a home that reflects their personal taste, which affords Couzens and his business partner, Ben Klumper, opportunities to work on exciting commissions that allow them to create unique, noteworthy designs.
A fine example is a 4,000-square-foot home in the community of Lakeview facing North Glenmore Park.
The owner is a collector of modern art and needed large areas to display it, plus he wanted his home to be a quiet retreat from a busy career.
The MoDA solution was to rotate the house 90 degrees and stretch it along the full length of the property, allowing for a more private, expansive side yard.
Along the east property line it amalgamated all of the home’s service spaces — storage, mechanical and electrical, kitchen, bathrooms, etc. — in a two-storey monolithic mass of concrete.
Protected from the services block are living, dining, home office, bedrooms and a pool unfolding toward the landscape. The exterior facade of the west and south sides of the home is covered by a water jet perforated aluminum screen, allowing light into smaller sculptured gardens, art galleries and private patios.
It has already drawn attention on the world stage as Couzens and Klumper have been invited to address the World Architectural Festival in Amsterdam, where their design is one of 10 finalists.
MoDA has designed another unique Lakeview residence along the same street. Resembling a castle, it defies convention by minimizing the surface area facing onto the park and front street with only a few openings on the exterior. Windows over the three floors look inward over an interior courtyard space.
A 6,000-square-foot Bel Aire residence will become another “art gallery” home that has been designed to accommodate large works by converting typical up and down levels into what will be seven levels, using long ramps for viewing art.
With no basement, an interior section houses all services and staggered levels are home to kitchen at grade and family living on the top.
These single-family homes are allowing Couzens, Klumper and their staff to unleash fresh and innovative designs that are rare opportunities in larger developments. But good design is the hallmark of MoDA that can be seen in projects such as Trolley 5 Brewpub on 17th Avenue, Tree House in Canmore, and the award-winning Junction 09 office building in Inglewood, with its intriguing vertical wood fin front facade.
NEWS AND NOTES
For the past three years, Richard Deschenes served as chief development officer at Mustard Seed, but recently moved over to Ambrose University as its new vice-president advancement.