A perch on the Rideau Canal
Architects get creative with an Ottawa property for Canal Terrace House
What happens when you find a property on Ottawa’s famously beautiful Rideau Canal, but with a significant building challenge? You go for it.
That’s what Ottawa architect Christopher Simmonds did when his clients bought a shallow lot with a steep slope but an amazing view of the canal and the city’s Lansdowne Park.
To build Canal Terrace House, architects had to locate the front door on the lowest level — the basement level — without making people feel they were actually entering a basement. So they designed an open staircase that channels natural light and provides a bright climb up to the first floor, with its amazing view, and open-concept living, dining and kitchen space. A terrace continues the view while also providing privacy with built-in, high-back benches.
Up the stairs on the next level — with equally stunning Rideau Canal views — is the master bedroom suite, plus a second bedroom. One more flight up, set back to reduce the impact of the height on neighbouring homes, features a retreat with living room, den, bedroom and roof terrace.
Canal Terrace House took just under two years to design and build and was completed in 2016.
Christopher Simmonds, of Christopher Simmonds Architecture Inc., answers a few questions about Canal Terrace House:
What was your inspiration for the home?
My clients had purchased the site which had amazing potential because it had a fantastic view across the canal. It was a great location for being downtown and going for jogs.
How did you approach opening the basement-level entrance?
When you enter the front door, you’re in a bit of a light well — there’s no ceiling above you. It’s like the main floor. Upstairs, if you’re looking across from the kitchen through the dining room, you’ll see a large stairwell and the entrance hallway. I wanted it to feel that when you were arriving, you weren’t just arriving into the basement — but into the space which is, actually, the main living space above.
You’ve done a modern design in an area with traditional architecture. Was it a difficult sell to neighbours and city hall?
I went for a variance to get a couple more feet of height. I was very mindful of how we treated the height, so there were two main moves. On the canal side, there’s a setback of the roof terrace, so you don’t see the third floor. On the other side, I sloped the roof back so you can’t really tell the exact height. There was mixed reaction; some people didn’t like it because they thought it was too in their face, but my sense is most people think it’s a reasonably elegant design.
You’ve balanced privacy with the ability to enjoy the view. How did you do that?
It’s tricky. We used the planting and the high back on the bench around the terrace to create a bit of a visual baffle from the sidewalk — but it’s a delicate balance. At night we’ve got retractable blinds, which come down so you don’t look like you’re sitting in a lantern and on full display.
What challenges did you have in building this home?
Because we had a small footprint available and were trying to build three storeys plus a walkout basement level, the challenge was how to deal with the mapping so it didn’t overwhelm adjacent houses.
To me the important thing was making sure you didn’t feel like you were coming into a basement. It’s very inviting when you come up.
How will the pandemic to affect your future designs?
That’s a complicated question that we do think about.
We’re expecting to be designing a long-term care centre and that’s the thing that worries me the most. You would want to be doing things absolutely as perfectly as possible to prevent transmission of things in a long-term care system.