Capturing the shadows and time. ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc
12/10/2020.
[Toronto] Canada
metalocus, MARÍA ANASTIDAS
metalocus, MARÍA ANASTIDAS
Canadian interdisciplinary design firm Johnson Chou Inc was recently awarded for their project, ShadowBox. A house located in the Upper Beaches neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is directly north of the Beaches area.
The house is configured to capture the effects of ever-changing light and shadow in different areas of the home. The shadows projected inside show the juxtaposition between the permanence of architecture and the ephemeral nature of nature.
The interior walls act as a blank canvas capturing the shadows of the abstracted forms and the movement, for example, of trees swaying in a breeze, in effect projecting the exterior environment into the interior. Like a reverse sundial, beams of light move across the walls and floors of the house. The moment is mesmerizing, cinematic, fleeting; in an instant, the shadows transform or disappear altogether.
The house is configured to capture the effects of ever-changing light and shadow in different areas of the home. The shadows projected inside show the juxtaposition between the permanence of architecture and the ephemeral nature of nature.
The interior walls act as a blank canvas capturing the shadows of the abstracted forms and the movement, for example, of trees swaying in a breeze, in effect projecting the exterior environment into the interior. Like a reverse sundial, beams of light move across the walls and floors of the house. The moment is mesmerizing, cinematic, fleeting; in an instant, the shadows transform or disappear altogether.
ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc. Photograph by Ben Rahn / A-Frame Studio
ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc. Photograph by Ben Rahn / A-Frame Studio
ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc. Photograph by Ben Rahn / A-Frame Studio
ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc. Photograph by Ben Rahn / A-Frame Studio
ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc. Photograph by Ben Rahn / A-Frame Studio
ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc. Photograph by Ben Rahn / A-Frame Studio
ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc. Photograph by Ben Rahn / A-Frame Studio
ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc. Photograph by Ben Rahn / A-Frame Studio
ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc. Photograph by Ben Rahn / A-Frame Studio
ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc. Photograph by Ben Rahn / A-Frame Studio
ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc. Photograph by Ben Rahn / A-Frame Studio
ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc. Photograph by Ben Rahn / A-Frame Studio
ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc. Photograph by Ben Rahn / A-Frame Studio
ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc. Photograph by Ben Rahn / A-Frame Studio
ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc. Photograph by Ben Rahn / A-Frame Studio
ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc. Photograph by Ben Rahn / A-Frame Studio
Basement floor plan. ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc.
Ground floor plan. ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc.
First floor plan. ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc.
Section. ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc.
ShadowBox house by Johnson Chou Inc. Photograph by Johnson Chou Inc
The house, designed by Johnson Chou Inc., faces a busy, at times cacophonous arterial road and as a result, the exterior openings were minimized to a single horizontal elongated window. The entrance into the residence is at the midpoint of the building accessed through a side way. The entrance foyer is located between the dining and kitchen/breakfast areas. The east-west orientation of the building allows for morning light at breakfast and evening light at dinner. From the one-story kitchen, the dining room is double-height and the living room is triple-height, invoking a sense of expansion or compression as one flows through the home.
ShadowBox is an exploration of the essence of architecture, envisioned as an instrument for the appreciation of the ephemerality of time.
The project was awarded the Interiors: Residential 2020 AZ Award.
ShadowBox has also been recognized with a 2020 Value of Design Award (VODA) by Interior Designers of Canada, a 2019 International Design Award (IDA), and as a Finalist of the 2019 International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Global Excellence Awards.
ShadowBox is an exploration of the essence of architecture, envisioned as an instrument for the appreciation of the ephemerality of time.
The project was awarded the Interiors: Residential 2020 AZ Award.
"A conceptually driven project, ShadowBox is executed in a pure and unified way. The interior atmosphere is distinct and extreme."
Stephanie Davison of Davidson Rafailidis (2020 Juror).
ShadowBox has also been recognized with a 2020 Value of Design Award (VODA) by Interior Designers of Canada, a 2019 International Design Award (IDA), and as a Finalist of the 2019 International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Global Excellence Awards.
Project description by Johnson Chou Inc
This project is an exploration of the essence of architecture: to enable the witnessing of the passage of time by capturing the elusive play of light and shadow, and to engender a heightened sense of movement through varying spatial scales and experiences.
This includes the expansion and compression of single, double and triple height spaces, and through one’s engagement of interior elements such as bridges and stairs. The house is configured to capture the ever-changing light and shadow effects in various areas of the residence. The shadows cast in the interior reveal the juxtaposition between the permanence of the architecture and the ephemeral of the natural.
The residence was envisioned as an instrument for the appreciation of the profound ephemerality of time. The interior walls act as a blank canvas capturing the shadows of the abstracted forms and its movement, for example, of trees swaying in a breeze, in effect projecting the exterior environment into the interior. Like a reverse sundial, beams of light move across the walls and floors of the house. The moment is mesmerizing, cinematic, fleeting; in an instant the shadows transform or disappear altogether.
Located in the Upper Beaches area of Toronto, the residence faces a busy, at times cacophonous arterial road and as a result the exterior openings were minimized to a single horizontal strip window. Entrance into the residence is at the midpoint of the building accessed through a side lane. The entrance foyer is located between the Dining and Kitchen/Breakfast areas. The east-west orientation of the building allows for morning light at breakfast and evening light at dinner. From the one-storey kitchen, the dining room is double-height and the living room is triple-height, invoking a sense of expansion or compression as one flows through the home.
The unconventional location of the living room in the “basement” is an opportunity for exciting spatial and experiential dynamics and, more interestingly, imparts an impression that the basement is no longer below grade, allowing the continuity of light and space to extend into the lower levels of the residence.
Lower Level (68 m²)
The lower level includes the Living Room, Library/Lounge, 2 Bedrooms, Bathroom, Storage and a Mechanical Room. The Bedroom areas can be closed off creating a self-contained guest suite.
Ground Floor (59 m²)
The double-height Dining Room is enclosed by a Powder Room clad in statuario marble tiles, a second floor bridge, a flights of stairs and overlooks the triple-height Living Room.
The Kitchen features a large window facing east with view and access to an enclosed courtyard. By appropriating the view of the courtyard and by extending the kitchen cabinetry and island, there is a blurring between interior and exterior spaces. The courtyard features a Japanese Maple tree, a fire-pit and reflecting pool.
Second Floor (62 m²)
The second floor features a bridge spanning over the Dining Room linking the Master Bedroom and a second Bedroom and Bathroom. Within the Master Bedroom, rather than having an enclosed ensuite resulting in a separate, smaller bedroom, the ensuite is opened to gain light and view, and components of the bathroom become sculptural objects. Vessel sinks appear as totemic elements, the shower is screened with overlapping layers of glass viewed as one enters the room. The monolithic base of the vanities provide storage and contain a whirlpool bath insert. It is also consistent in form to the custom bedframe. A black-framed 3’ cantilevered seating alcove offers repose, and the bedroom can be modulated for view and privacy. For example, bed and bath areas are separated by a sheer curtain, open and drawn when desired and folding doors can be opened to reveal a Juliette balcony.
More information
Architects
Project team
Johnson Chou and Silke Stadtmueller.
Collaborators
Andrew Harris (Ardec Group), Dario Gallo (MAF Industries), Stephen Bazay (Bazay Blacksmithing), Andrew Moretti (RFP Design Group), Traian Sandru (Lumina Sales / Eurolite), Bob Westcott (RJW Enterprises), Vicky Diab (Willis), Dave Kennedy (Kenella Painting), Dave Marcus (AyA Kitchens), Kaz Stachelek (Robert Design Group) and Ira Idzkowski (Torcon).
Photography
Ben Rahn at A-Frame Studio.
Johnson Chou, Silke Stadtmueller Johnson Chou Inc.
Johnson Chou Inc. Since 1999, Johnson Chou Inc. has developed into an interdisciplinary design practice encompassing architectural and industrial design, furniture and interiors, graphic identity, and corporate communications – a body of work characterized by conceptual explorations of narrative, transformation, and multiplicity. While the search for the elemental is the defining aspect of the diverse, yet a consistent body of work, elements of drama and engagement on intellectual, emotional, and physiological levels of experience exemplify the firm's projects.
The firm’s award-winning and internationally recognized projects include advertising offices for Grip Limited and Zulu Alpha Kilo, Head Offices for Red Bull Canada, and private residences in 10 Bellair and the Candy Factory condominiums.
The firm’s award-winning and internationally recognized projects include advertising offices for Grip Limited and Zulu Alpha Kilo, Head Offices for Red Bull Canada, and private residences in 10 Bellair and the Candy Factory condominiums.
Johnson Chou. A graduate of the University of Waterloo School of Architecture, Johnson Chou was employed at architectural firms during his internship and in the mid-nineties; however, he briefly deviated from his professional path to pursue the visual arts. In 1996, he cofounded Archive Inc. Gallery & Art Library located in the incipient Queen West Gallery District, which was recognized for its innovative group shows curated by writers, artists, designers, and filmmakers.
Serendipitously, it was through the Gallery that purveyed Chou’s emerging design practice. His design for the spare, yet multi-functional gallery was recognized for its minimalist aesthetic and transformative spatial concepts. Chou’s first projects were the residences and offices of Archives art patrons.
In 1999, the design practice was launched and incorporated in 2001. In 2003, he was selected to speak about his work at a symposium entitled "The Next Generations" sponsored by Metropolis Magazine in New York City. Chou has taught and lectured about his work nationally and internationally.
Exhibitions of his work include a retrospective at Ballenford Books; a FRAME magazine exhibition of Toronto architects and designers and was commissioned by Toronto’s Design Exchange to create a sustainable furniture prototype for their exhibit entitled "New Landscapes: Design Transforms Canadian Furniture", a review of contemporary Canadian furniture design and production.
Chou’s support and involvement with the visual arts continues, he was a member of the Advisory Board for the Museum of Canadian Contemporary Art (MoCCA), a founding curator for Red Bull Gallery’s 381 Projects and in 2008 was inducted as an Academician of the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts (RCA) in recognition of his work. In 2011 he was elected as Vice-President of the Academy. In 2012, in recognition of his work, Johnson Chou was awarded the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal. Currently he is among "The Best 30 Designers in Canada" as chosen and awarded by AZURE Magazine.
Silke Stadtmueller. A graduate of the University of Applied Sciences, Karlsruhe, Germany with a degree in Architecture, Silke Stadtmueller has worked in a number of architecture and design firms. During her schooling, she interned at Map Arquitectos/Josep Lluis Mateo in Barcelona, Spain and at Architekten Fabrik n#40 Weiss & Faust in Berlin, Germany. Immediately following graduation, she was employed as a web designer at redCOR AG in Bern, Switzerland and, after a year, she resumed her architectural career as an associate at idw Architekten, based in Neu-Ulm.
At idw Architekten, Silke was the project architect for a number of exhibition design projects for DaimlerChrysler, Mercedes Benz, Mitsubishi Fuso, Voith Paper, and BMW/MINI/Rolls Royce. Other projects include the headquarters for the Landeszentralbank in Chemnitz, Germany with Map Arquitectos.
In 2005, Silke joined Johnson Chou Inc. and was the project manager and designer of a number of award-winning projects, including advertising firms Grip Limited and Zulu Alpha Kilo; public relations firm High Road Communications; the Music Academy and head offices for Red Bull Canada; TNT Gallerie Boutique; 119 Corbo; The Guild Shop; and Grafic Man boutique. Other projects include private residences, such as the award-winning Sikorski and 10 Bellair residences. In October 2009, she was the project manager/principal designer for the largest exhibition of Canadian craft entitled Unity & Diversity, held at the Cheongju International Craft Biennale, Korea.
Other recent projects include multi-storey condominium projects Sixty Colborne, 155 Redpath and 383 Sorauren, as well as the restaurant Blowfish on Bay. Silke’s interests extend to product design, co-designing the BASE Integrated Modular Living System – a universal base unit upon which living, dining, kitchen, bed, bath and storage components can be plugged into to create a flexible, infinitely configurable, and expandable living system all within a unifying, minimalist aesthetic. The system launched in 2014 in collaboration with AYA Kitchens.
Serendipitously, it was through the Gallery that purveyed Chou’s emerging design practice. His design for the spare, yet multi-functional gallery was recognized for its minimalist aesthetic and transformative spatial concepts. Chou’s first projects were the residences and offices of Archives art patrons.
In 1999, the design practice was launched and incorporated in 2001. In 2003, he was selected to speak about his work at a symposium entitled "The Next Generations" sponsored by Metropolis Magazine in New York City. Chou has taught and lectured about his work nationally and internationally.
Exhibitions of his work include a retrospective at Ballenford Books; a FRAME magazine exhibition of Toronto architects and designers and was commissioned by Toronto’s Design Exchange to create a sustainable furniture prototype for their exhibit entitled "New Landscapes: Design Transforms Canadian Furniture", a review of contemporary Canadian furniture design and production.
Chou’s support and involvement with the visual arts continues, he was a member of the Advisory Board for the Museum of Canadian Contemporary Art (MoCCA), a founding curator for Red Bull Gallery’s 381 Projects and in 2008 was inducted as an Academician of the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts (RCA) in recognition of his work. In 2011 he was elected as Vice-President of the Academy. In 2012, in recognition of his work, Johnson Chou was awarded the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal. Currently he is among "The Best 30 Designers in Canada" as chosen and awarded by AZURE Magazine.
Silke Stadtmueller. A graduate of the University of Applied Sciences, Karlsruhe, Germany with a degree in Architecture, Silke Stadtmueller has worked in a number of architecture and design firms. During her schooling, she interned at Map Arquitectos/Josep Lluis Mateo in Barcelona, Spain and at Architekten Fabrik n#40 Weiss & Faust in Berlin, Germany. Immediately following graduation, she was employed as a web designer at redCOR AG in Bern, Switzerland and, after a year, she resumed her architectural career as an associate at idw Architekten, based in Neu-Ulm.
At idw Architekten, Silke was the project architect for a number of exhibition design projects for DaimlerChrysler, Mercedes Benz, Mitsubishi Fuso, Voith Paper, and BMW/MINI/Rolls Royce. Other projects include the headquarters for the Landeszentralbank in Chemnitz, Germany with Map Arquitectos.
In 2005, Silke joined Johnson Chou Inc. and was the project manager and designer of a number of award-winning projects, including advertising firms Grip Limited and Zulu Alpha Kilo; public relations firm High Road Communications; the Music Academy and head offices for Red Bull Canada; TNT Gallerie Boutique; 119 Corbo; The Guild Shop; and Grafic Man boutique. Other projects include private residences, such as the award-winning Sikorski and 10 Bellair residences. In October 2009, she was the project manager/principal designer for the largest exhibition of Canadian craft entitled Unity & Diversity, held at the Cheongju International Craft Biennale, Korea.
Other recent projects include multi-storey condominium projects Sixty Colborne, 155 Redpath and 383 Sorauren, as well as the restaurant Blowfish on Bay. Silke’s interests extend to product design, co-designing the BASE Integrated Modular Living System – a universal base unit upon which living, dining, kitchen, bed, bath and storage components can be plugged into to create a flexible, infinitely configurable, and expandable living system all within a unifying, minimalist aesthetic. The system launched in 2014 in collaboration with AYA Kitchens.
