Wrap House in Alberta, Canada by Marc Boutin

The conceptual driver for the project was the exploration of a fundamental served/servant relationship, in which servicing costs are adapted to the specific limitations and opportunities of a small infill lot. The programme is first divided into 2 simple boxes, one a enclosed box while the other is a transparent articulated volume.

The interface between the two volumes becomes conditioned through the addition of a courtyard into the served space, begins to articulate the building envelope through the creation of more surface area.

The integration the courtyard into the core of the house, became the central feature of the project and serves multiple functions, both spatially and programmatically. At its most fundamental level, it becomes a "lightbox", allowing generous amounts of daylight to wash into the core of the residence. This is unlike most infill houses, whose interiors become tunnel-like as a result of building by-law and code limitations.

Architects: Marc Boutin
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Bruce Edwards