Williamson Williamson have designed Bala Line House in Toronto, Canada. Within many of Toronto’s network of well-preserved ravines and valleys, historic rail lines are occasionally found nestled unused on steep, wooded slopes between the upper plateau of residential fabric and the river valley habitats down below. The now de-commissioned Bala Line rail – once used for an industry-focused early 20th-century city – has evolved into a common passage for hikers and neighbours alike. This project is a single-family dwelling with a rare, accessible lot lining this western edge of the ravine, some 60 feet above the mid-slope Bala Line path.

威廉姆森在加拿大多伦多设计了巴拉线屋。在多伦多的许多保存完好的峡谷和山谷网络中，偶尔会发现历史上的铁路线被闲置在陡峭、树木茂密的山坡上，位于住宅结构的上层高原和下面的河谷栖息地之间。如今，巴拉线铁路-曾经是20世纪早期一个以工业为中心的城市-已经发展成为远足者和邻居们共同的通道。这个项目是一个单一的家庭住宅与一个罕见的，可到达的地段在这个峡谷的西部边缘，约60英尺以上的中坡巴拉线径。

The home for a family of five integrates a series of terraced spaces strung together by a 14’ flight-and-a-half stair, coinciding with the cascading topography beyond. Using a single-run stair to offset primary spaces at key landing points, the project frames views of the valley below. Ostensible ‘pressures’ of limiting-distance minimum unprotected openings, neighbouring heights, and physical grade preservation (for stable soil structure and integrity), together offered an opportunity for a monolithic, though stepped, mass nesting atop a grounded poured-in-place concrete structure. The project ‘erodes’ toward the ravine, leaving a light-filled series of upper spaces capturing any natural light and thermally-moderating effects of fresh valley air – most notably in the form of a ‘carved’ front facade and a generous double-cantilever open corner at opposite ends. As a prototypical gesture to an otherwise neglected urban condition in Toronto, this house architecturally seeks to reclaim the ravine as a worthy, new public realm.

一个五口之家将一系列由14英尺半楼梯连接起来的梯田空间整合在一起，与远处的层叠地形相吻合。使用一个单一运行楼梯，以抵消主要着陆点的主要空间，该项目框架下的山谷视图。表面上的“压力”的极限距离最小无保护的开口，邻近的高度，和物理等级保持(稳定的土壤结构和完整性)，一起提供了一个机会，虽然是踏板，整体的质量嵌套在一个接地浇筑的混凝土结构。该项目“侵蚀”了峡谷，留下了一系列充满光线的上部空间，捕捉了山谷新鲜空气的自然光和热调节效应-最显著的形式是“雕刻”正面和两端有一个宽大的双悬臂开放角落。作为多伦多一种被忽视的城市环境的典型姿态，这座房屋在建筑上寻求将峡谷作为一个有价值的、新的公共领域。

Project: Bala Line House, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Architecture: Williamson Williamson Architect Team: Donald Chong, Chris Routley, Shane Williamson, Betsy Williamson Area 2,400 ft2 Photography: Bob Gundu

项目：加拿大安大略省多伦多Bala Line House：Williamson建筑师团队：Donald Chong，Chris Routley，Shane Williamson，Betsy Williamson Area 2，400英尺2摄影：Bob Gundu