Triller Laneway House

Studio Z Owner and Architect Zuzanna Krykorka designed and oversaw construction on this Laneway house for her Parkdale Toronto property.

Unique for a laneway house, the house has windows on all sides, bringing in an abundance of natural light while also interacting with the life of a city laneway. The "lit" house at night makes it obvious that this is an inhabited living space, occupants becoming part of the neighborhood rather than tucked away in secret.

The ground floor is a light-filled open-plan kitchen, dining and living room with views to the backyard framed by 3 massive 150 year old maple trees. Upstairs a spa-inspired bathroom with a large skylight surrounded by the tree canopy. Looking in either direction reveals that the central hall lines up with the north and south second-floor windows, again a nod to the house's laneway origins.

Construction details follow passive house principles. The large window at the top of the stairs— again framing a view of the sky—is a feature referred to as "the oculus." By night, the oculus glows warmly from the outside, like a streetlamp for the laneway, while during the day it can be opened so as to function as a cooling shaft. Heating is provided by in-floor hydronic radiant on both floors powered by an electric boiler. A heat pump water heater does the domestic hot water. Meanwhile, dense-pack cellulose insulation retains this heat during the winter and minimizes the need for air-conditioning in the summer.

Ventilation is enabled by Lunos "breathing wall" technology, a through-wall variable system that is coupled with a ceramic regenerative heat exchanger. Operating in pairs, these devices are installed directly through an exterior wall and provide continuous circulation without the need for duct-work, all of which has the added benefit of furthering the open, clean design aesthetic.

The laneway house sits comfortably among the many garages of this Parkdale lane. With its steel roof, wood siding and dark robust exterior, it wears its Toronto garage vernacular proudly, an active part of the laneway urban environment.