German beach-chair-inspired ‘windproof’ penthouses

It almost sounds like the beginning of a terribly lame joke, but what do a German beach chair and new residential building in Canada have in common?

Answer: a honeycomb-shaped residential building, titled One Delisle that offers residents an all-year-round outdoor patio overlooking Toronto, Canada.

GALLERY  

Designed by Studio Gang, The tower will include up to 47 floors, with each distinct penthouse spanning one-third or one-half of the 16-sided building, whose wind-breaking design was inspired by a German beach chair known as the Strandkorb.

For this project, the architecture studio studied dense urban areas around the world and how wind can be challenging while creating high rise neighbourhoods, especially when residents are looking for residences with habitable and useable outdoor balconies, terraces, and patios. The structure shields balconies from wind and snow from the sides and top, making the outdoor spaces accessible during the winter as well.

“For One Delisle’s penthouses, we wanted to connect residents to nature and offer beautiful views of the city. To do so, our design reinterprets high-rise architectural elements, such as balconies and roof gardens, into the urban equivalent of a front porch or back yard—social spaces that occur more naturally when living closer to the ground. These terraces and balconies are protected from rain, wind, and snow, creating microclimates that extend the seasons of use beyond summer” explains Margaret Cavenagh, Design Principal of Interior Architecture at Studio Gang.

The penthouses’ interiors boast natural stone fireplaces and a refined dining room with glass-enclosed wine cabinets. The kitchens were designed as the house’s focal point, surrounded by open floorplans and a custom, pill-shaped island designed by the architecture firm. Natural stone countertops were used to bring warmth and texture to the space, paired with lacquer-finished cabinetry.

Images by JORG inc. via Arch Daily

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