Arthur Residence
The Arthur Residence was designed for a finish carpenter and emergency room doctor from South Africa with a passion for gardening.
The couple was seeking a modest sanctuary with ample space for privacy and respite from the outside world. They selected an infill site near downtown Regina, in a mature neighbourhood where small bungalows are rapidly being replaced by conventional homes. In contrast, the Arthurs wanted to challenge this development with a thoughtful alternative.
Small side yard setbacks typically leave unconsidered or leftover spaces — instead, the Arthur Residence fills the entire width of the lot. Fence and wall merge, so that from the sidewalk, the house appears as a solid with a path leading to a single break. Within the enclosure, multiple courtyards are carved out of the site as a whole: an entry court, a main garden, and a sunken patio. Volumes housing the foyer, the combined living and dining room, and the kitchen/utility wing frame views onto these unexpected pocket gardens along all sides of the house.
The upper house has two distinct bedroom suites, each accessed by separate staircases: one for guests above the foyer, and another for the principal bedroom above the kitchen. In addition, the homeowners also requested a two-bedroom secondary apartment below ground, which is given private access from street level alongside the house leading from the double-height carport through the sunken courtyard. This additional unit promotes more efficient land use and provides the Arthurs with flexibility for either rental income or multigenerational living.
While the main and lower levels are conceived as a series of walls and floor-to ceiling windows that open to internal garden views, the second level is a sheltered refuge providing discrete lookouts over the neighbourhood and the surrounding tree canopy. Stucco and plaster walls curve inward like curtains drawing in the breeze. The warping walls create triangular voids that allow daylight to softly wash the interior and right-angled triangular voids that are filled with operable wood framed windows, crafted by the homeowner.
The exchange between solidity and lightness, activity and repose, intersect in the double-height living and dining room. Smooth, contoured plaster walls rest on raw, cast-in-place concrete, and reflect diffused daylight — reinforcing the tactile and sensory qualities of material, space and light that form the essence of the house. The subtle overall atmosphere sets the stage for unwinding after long hours in pressure-filled careers.
