Toronto Residence by Drew Mandel Architects: 2020 Best of Year Winner for Residential Transformation
February 26, 2021
Photography by Younes Bounhar/Doublespace Photography.
The Georgian Revival house in the Bracondale Hill neighborhood is listed on a city historic register, so its street-facing exterior had to be preserved. But the owners sought more space, more light, and a more contemporary way of living. Drew Mandel and team managed to both respect the landmark and reinvent it.
At the rear of the house, the firm replaced a solid wall with a glass-box extension, opening up the formerly dark, rabbit-warren interior to the yard. To the side, the form of a brick-shingle addition echoes that of the original house. A glass connector marks the gap between old and new and prompted a nickname for the now 5,215-square-foot residence: Toblerone house.