A semi-detached home in Toronto's picturesque Little Italy neighbourhood
once felt too small for its owners. Prior to the renovation, the
homeowners’ ability to host dinner parties was limited due to size of
the living, dining, and kitchen spaces; their extensive art collection
was crowded and hidden by poor lighting, and narrow hallways and rooms
inhibited even the size of furniture they could bring into the home.
With a mere 13'-6” width, this downtown dwelling required two strategic
additions and a gut renovation to make its narrow proportions feel
spacious.
多伦多风景如画的小意大利社区的一栋半独立式住宅曾经对其业主来说太小了。装修之前，由于起居室、餐厅和厨房空间的大小，房主举办晚宴的能力受到限制；他们丰富的艺术收藏品拥挤不堪，且因光线不足而被隐藏，狭窄的走廊和房间甚至限制了他们可以带入家中的家具尺寸。这座市中心住宅的宽度仅为 13'-6"，需要进行两次战略性扩建和一次彻底翻新，才能使其狭窄的比例显得宽敞。
Organized like a passenger train—a versatile series of connected railcars—the new layout stretches each room or ‘car’ to the full width of the house with a slight compression only at transitions.
新的布局就像客运列车（一系列多功能的互联轨道车）一样组织，将每个房间或“车厢”延伸至房屋的整个宽度，仅在过渡处略有压缩。
The first design intervention was to eliminate hallways and organize the
functions as a series of spaces. The entry vestibule was moved, thanks
to an addition, to be in front of the ‘Living car’, and not beside it.
This new room allowed the living space to be a full 13'5" wide x 16'
long, furnished with a sectional, armchair, and customized, built-in
seats by a sculpted fireplace. A second addition was appended to the
side of the kitchen to allow enough space for an island.
第一个设计干预是消除走廊并将功能组织为一系列空间。由于添加了附加设施，入口前厅被移至“生活车”的前面，而不是旁边。这个新房间的起居空间为 13 英尺 5 英寸宽 x 16 英尺长，配有组合式扶手椅和雕刻壁炉旁的定制内置座椅。第二个附加设施附加在房间的一侧厨房，为岛台留出足够的空间。
The second important design decision was to relocate the main staircase to a centralized location in the house and configure it as a switchback stair, instead of a linear one. This significantly reduced the amount of area needed for vertical circulation as well as horizontal, becoming a vertical link through the house. As a result, Railcar House feels generous and flows gracefully from one space to the next. Spaces are separated by sliding doors instead of swing doors, to reduce the circulation footprint, but also to allow for flexibility in use.
第二个重要的设计决策是将主楼梯重新定位到房屋的集中位置，并将其配置为之字形楼梯，而不是线性楼梯。这大大减少了垂直和水平循环所需的面积，成为穿过房屋的垂直链接。因此，轨道车之家给人一种慷慨的感觉，从一个空间优雅地流向另一个空间。空间由推拉门而不是平开门分隔，以减少流通足迹，同时也允许使用的灵活性。
Art and lighting play a central role in the interior detailing of the home, along with furniture placement. Every work of art was strategically placed on walls to either balance the heaviness of large furniture or offset with brightness and colour. Some spaces were given moodier, contemplative lighting and colours, while others required lighter, softer tones. Each wall surface in this house further supports the function of each ‘car’ or denotes a transition space. Colour, material textures, and lighting were used to create an appropriate backdrop for cherished artworks, and to enhance the livability of the home.
艺术和照明以及家具摆放在房屋的室内细节中发挥着核心作用。每一件艺术品都被战略性地放置在墙上，以平衡大型家具的重量或抵消亮度和色彩。一些空间被赋予了更加喜怒无常、令人沉思的灯光和色彩，而另一些空间则需要更轻、更柔和的色调。这座房子的每个墙面进一步支持每辆“汽车”的功能或表示一个过渡空间。颜色、材料纹理和灯光被用来为珍贵的艺术品创造合适的背景，并提高房屋的宜居性。
This architectural strategy was also applied to the landscape design surrounding the house. The front wall of the house became a continuation of the garden, and continued again with the rear dining and sitting areas. The bold green-black walls of the front and rear rooms of the house allow the walls to recede from our perception, while the more vibrant colours of the Japanese Maple and exterior landscaping elements fill the space instead. Completed in 2024, Railcar House is a lively home that offers a comfortable and joyful sanctuary for its always-on-the-move owners.
这种建筑策略也应用于房屋周围的景观设计。房子的前墙成为花园的延续，并再次延续到后面的餐厅和休息区。房子的前室和后室的大胆的绿黑色墙壁让墙壁从我们的感知中消失，而日本枫树和外部景观元素的更鲜艳的色彩反而填充了空间。Railcar House 于 2024 年竣工，是一栋充满活力的住宅，为总是忙碌的业主提供舒适而快乐的庇护所。
编排：布忠耀
