Tanoa as a Highly Considered and Extraordinary Home Addition

Tanoa is a highly considered and thoughtfully crafted insertion to an intergenerational family home that sits on a quiet, beachside cul-de-sac. The architects sought to engage with the lively, communal use of the street through two new outdoor spaces: a ground level terrace wrapped with a swale-like landscape, and an upper-level balcony. The addition of a new living and study space nested within the roof of the original semi-detached house reached by a delicate, external spiral stair, constantly connecting the family with the landscape and enhancing neighbourhood interaction. As the sole access, this generates flexibility, it allows the upper-level space to be inhabited independently from the main house and provides a sense of retreat.

The project balances the desire for privacy and interaction by placing a void that connects this room to the heart of the house below. Crested with a skylight, it channels the flow of light and sound into the house. The architects sought a First Nations perspective to enhance their understanding of the site, which has informed both built elements and landscape in a meaningful way. For its contribution to a streetscape, its consideration of a broader ecology and its finely crafted details, Tanoa is an extraordinary home addition.