Anzio Laneway House

On a hillside lane stands a small white box, sharply defined amidst the neighbouring stucco homes. It takes on the form of a simple house but wears an industrial, utilitarian exterior. It is monochromatic and austere; a window folds at the eave, reaching toward the roof ridge. The glazing steals the hues of the sky like a chameleon.

Completed in 2023, the laneway house perches high in the Renfrew Heights neighbourhood like an astronomical observatory overlooking the north shore. From a small gate, a narrow passage leads us uphill onto the entry patio behind. From there one enters into a stoic interior. Only by slow degrees do hints of domesticity reveal themselves as one traverses through.

First impressions unveil a lack of furniture. A seating platform, with hidden storage underneath, fills and defines the living space. Part of the platform lifts to make a table on pneumatic legs at the touch of a button. Soft cushions spread about. There are no chairs or cupboards. With all encumbrances of modern life stowed away, the living space reveals itself as tiers rising from the concrete ground onto the kitchen, levelling out at the stainless steel countertop. Looking out from the kitchen, one realizes to have risen a full level above the lane. On one end of the kitchen, the stairs spring back and ascend to the sleeping loft upstairs, completing the journey.

One of the challenges in laneway house design is to create a sense of privacy and peace when the windows inevitably faces somebody's backyard, with lane traffic within arm's reach from the windowsill. It seems like an impossible feat, to carve out a home amidst a plethora of backstreet elements - be they the overhead power lines or the recycling bins. Fortuity relies on careful observation to highlight available views, complemented by hierarchy and layers within the space.

We encounter an opportunity through the crevice between the neighboring houses, where there is a sliver of the North Shore mountains. It lets in the soft ambiance of the northern sky, offering a moment of escape from the banality of the back lane environment. The expansive window-cum-skylight not only guides our perception towards this magical moment in the world beyond, but also gives the impression that the roof is parting like wings, defying the 70-square-meter confine of urban living. Like a telescope, the window draws our eyes to the distant mountaintops. Stretching our imagination, the roof may even slide open pneumatically to reveal a slice of the sky that is entirely one's own, all at the touch of a button.