Secondary Suites Become Discretionary in R-1, R-C1, and R-C1L Districts

Calgary has been behind most of the country in streamlining the process for the approval of basement suites and backyard suites in single-family districts. But, as of yesterday, this has changed. City Council voted 9-6 in favour of making suites a discretionary use in the R-1, R-C1 and R-C1L districts. This means that people who own a property with this designation will no longer require a land use redesignation, or the associated public hearing, to apply to build a suite. The process will be an administrative one, meaning that people will simply need to apply for a development permit.

We're particularly excited to be able to help provide laneway houses—another term for backyard suites—to the many Calgarians who want them but were daunted by the previous onerous process.

Yes! Yes yes yes yes yes yes! Thanks to council for having the courage to stand up for the right of all citizens to have a safe and decent place to live. https://t.co/qhJ3RILEka

— Naheed Nenshi (@nenshi) March 13, 2018

Welcome Back, Paul.

Inertia is celebrating it's twelfth birthday this month. As we've reported before in this blog, Inertia was founded by Trent Letwiniuk, Stephen Barnecut and Paul Shannon back in aught six. We worked out of our houses at first, then into one basement, and another, and then teamed up to share office space with Casola Koppe Architects. In fact, Paul has spent the last five years with Casola Koppe learning about how to bring large residential projects off the spreadsheet and into reality.

We're very excited to announce that Paul has returned to Inertia, and has taken up the role of Senior Project Manager. Paul is now running Inertia and Gravity's larger and more complex projects.

Paul completed the Architectural Technology program in conjunction with the Co-operative Education Program at Fanshawe College in Ontario in 1999. The Co-operative Education included one semester per year of on-site work experience, which put his theory into practice. Upon graduation, Paul moved to Calgary and soon began at Calbridge Fine Homes as their sole designer/draftsman and product developer, working on mostly custom homes and small multi-family projects. In the Fall of 2003, Paul moved to Jager and AlanRidge Homes as the Senior AlanRidge Designer and member of the product development team. At Jager and AlanRidge, Paul worked one-on-one with clients and was able to further hone his skills in the custom and estate home market. In the Spring of 2006, Paul left Jager and AlanRidge to co-found Inertia Corporation where he managed his own group of clients.

In 2009 Paul took a hiatus from Inertia to work at Robert Pashuk Architecture and pursue the RAIC Syllabus program. After spending a year and a half back at Inertia, Paul then took a role as Senior Architectural Technologist at Casola Koppe Architecture where he continued to work on larger multi-residential projects. He returned to Inertia and Gravity at the beginning of 2018 in the role of Senior Project Manager.

We're happy to have you back, Paul.

Welcome Harvey Hibo

We're happy to announce that Harvey Hibo has joined the team at Inertia and Gravity!

Harvey received his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Toronto in 2003. He has since worked with a variety of design firms and developers, closely involved in aspects of architectural service ranging from evaluation, planning and design. Harvey is registered as an Intern Architect with the Alberta Association of Architects (AAA).

Harvey brings 15 years of experience in the field of technical, construction drawings and contract administration with strong background in institutional, recreation, commercial and community projects involving master planning design and processing contract documents. Harvey provides value to Gravity and Inertia's clients through his design innovation and process efficiency.

We're happy to have you, Harvey!

Kathryn Thorkildsen Joins the Inertia and Gravity Team

Late last year, Kathryn Thorkildsen joined the team at Inertia and Gravity.

From Frank Lloyd Wright to Frank Gehry, Kathryn has always had an appreciation for all styles and methods of architecture and knew from a young age that she would have a career in the industry. In 2003 she graduated from the Architectural Technologies program at SAIT and has since had a primary focus in Single Family Residential.

Kicking off her career working for Evans 2 Design Group doing architectural controls, Kat moved on to work with Jackson Baker McCormick Design Group. There she managed her projects in all aspects including the creation of detailed construction drawings, product research, permits, and working with each trades to ensure the end result met or exceeded expectations. As a member of the innovative product development team at Albi Homes she honed in on her love for design, and her team was rewarded with multiple Regional and National SAM awards. Bringing both her technical skills and her passion for design, Kat joined Inertia and Gravity in the fall of 2017 and is a welcome addition to our team.

Welcome Kathryn!

X100

Joseph Eichler (1900-1974), was an American real estate developer well known for his suburban developments in what has come to be known as the California Modern, or mid-century modern style. His most extensive development was in the San Mateo Highlands. It was built over an 11-year period from 1955 to 1965. To promote this new development, Eichler built the X-100. It was a research house designed in 1955 by architects A. Quincy Jones and Frederick E. Emmons and opened in October 1956.

It was recently restored to both preserve and enhance the integrity of the original design. Work was being complete right up to the 2017 Eichler Home tour we attended this past May (the first time the house was open to the public since 2009.)

The plan is roughly a square that has been split and slid along the north-south axis. Sliding the plan created the openings for the entries, and—in conjunction with all the glass—dissolves the distinction between interior and exterior space. The materials are steel (structural and decking), and concrete (block and slab). The interior is finished in panelling, laminate and ceramic and vinyl tile. Lighting is provided principally with skylights, which are spotlit from above so they can be a source of light both night and day. This is supplemented with wall and ceiling mounted spot lights, and the occasional pendant or ceiling fixture. The central bathrooms are tiled on the floors, walls, and counters, and feature a shared sunken shower. The kitchen is open and modern, with the only nod to tradition being the oven cabinet that separates the kitchen from the living room. 

A plan of the X100 on display within the house during the 2017 Eichler Tour

For the curious, below is a Universal International newsreel from October 24, 1956 that introduced the house. The announcer points out that "it's not for sale, if you could afford it. It's a research house testing a whole new design concept." He goes on to mention the indoor and outdoor gardens, the skylights, the steel columns and roof beams, and the sliding table with a built in cooktop.

A article with many period photographs is available here. Original brochures for the house are available here.

This Eichler was built in 1956, has three bedrooms, two baths, and is 1044 square feet.

The X-100 is one of twelve homes that Inertia was able to visit in May on the Eichler Home Tour 2017. Earlier, we wrote about other houses on the tour, as well as posted a gallery of Eichlers that weren't included in the tour.

Bridgeland House

Gary Campbell just send us over these photographs he took of the Bridgeland House we designed for him and his wife Heidi. We're thrilled with how this project turned out.

The steel beam has been a part of the design from the beginning. It's is of course integral to the raw aesthetic of the house, but it also does the actual work of holding the second floor up. The motif of the steel beam has been repeated in the stair stringers.

Bridgeland House Living Room
Photo by Gary Campbell

This project started as a three storey house. As the design was refined, the third floor was removed so the basement could get more light. However, keeping the same-level relationship between the indoor and outdoor spaces remained important. The result is a split-level back yard with the deck at the main floor level, and the garden a half flight lower.

Bridgeland House Rear Yard and Elevation
Photo by Gary Campbell

The house has no shortage of natural light. In addition to the large windows at the front and the rear of the house, high wide windows along the South elevation ensure that sunlight penetrates deep into the house at all times of day.

Bridgeland House Loft
Photo by Gary Campbell

Kudos go to Rusch Projects for executing this project so well, to McIntyre Bills for the interior design and materials selection, and to Gary and Heidi for their commitment and attention to this project the whole way through. If you're curious about the construction process, please look at our previous posts that go right back to demolition day on August 2015.

Mount Pleasant 8

Our sister company, Gravity, just completed their Mount Pleasant 8 project. It is an eight-unit multi-residential project in the Mount Pleasant community in northwest Calgary. It was commissioned by RNDSQR for a 30.47m x 36.54m corner parcel with an R-CG designation. BMP Construction Management completed the project in 2017.

Seven of the units are two-storey townhouses, and one—located above the garages—is a two-storey apartment. The townhouses all have basements with an additional bedroom. Nine parking stalls are provided on site, with eight garaged stalls, and one exterior visitor stall.

As a nod to tradition, each townhouse has a brick facade. This brick element stands proud of each unit, each of which is massed in the form of a vernacular house. The apartment takes a more contemporary shape, and is scuplted from three interlocking masses.

The townhouses each have their own private amenity space at the rear. Five of these back onto the common courtyard. The apartment unit has a second floor patio on top of the garage, and a third floor balcony off of one of its three bedrooms.

R-CG is a relatively new land use designation. It was developed by the City and other stakeholders to allow for low-density townhouse development in the existing low-density areas of Calgary's inner city. It shares a common street-oriented configuration where each unit has a door to the street and there are no units behind one another.

This is the first R-CG project built in Calgary to have more than four units. Because of it's larger scale, we were able to explore the reduction of private amenity spaces to provide a single common courtyard amenity space. We also came across a glitch in the district—since fixed—where any RC-G project could only have one building on a site. To meet this rule, we bridged Unit 4 to touch Unit 3. Now completed, this housing project has replaced two small aging houses with eight family-sized homes. We see this as a win for Mount Pleasant as well as for the city as a whole.

This project won the BILD Calgary Region SAM Awards in the category of Best New Design Villa/Duplex/Townhome 1,200 sq. ft. and over.

Sharper Design

The Globe and Mail reports today on the subject of mid-rise design in Calgary. Our sister company, Gravity Architecture, is featured in good company. Pictured above is a project Gravity has been engaged by Bellaview Luxury Homes to design for a parcel on 12th Avenue SE adjacent to the Orchards development in up-and-coming East Victoria Park.

The article also discusses the Minto in Sunnyside project by Nyhoff and the Steps project by Sturgess.

1704 Yorktown

Of all the Eichlers we visited, this one felt the most livable and down to earth. The spaces felt comfortable, bright, and well sized. Some were humbly furnished with IKEA, an inexpensive but nonetheless modern choice that many of us can relate to.

While this house does look like an effortless tidying of an original Eichler, the renovations were extensive. The house started with a walled off kitchen separating the living and dining rooms, and had over the years been fitted with arches, crown mouldings and a large drop-in tub in the ensuite. This down-to-the-stud renovation saw the dining room moved to the centre of the plan, the kitchen to the front, and a sitting area added on adjacent to the kitchen (so the TV didn't have to go above the fireplace). The tub was removed and replaced with a large walk-in shower that has a floor-to-ceiling view of the re-landscaped back yard.

Clerestory windows bring south light right into the main living space, and skylights in the bedroom wing add sparkle to what would otherwise be dark internal spaces. Unexpected splashes of colour contrast against the otherwise white interior. Even the side yard is activated as a comfortable and usable space.

This Eichler was built in 1957, has four bedrooms, two baths, and is 2000 square feet.

1704 Yorkton is one of twelve homes that Inertia was able to visit in May on the Eichler Home Tour 2017. Earlier, we wrote about other houses on the tour, as well as posted a gallery of Eichlers that weren't included in the tour.

2227 Cobble Hill

While the San Mateo Highlands are indeed on a hill, most of the properties do not have a view. Their yards tend to be enclosed and feel very private. It's remarkable how much a yard can feel like an outdoor room when the eave of the house isn't much higher that the top of the neighbour's fence.

The house at 2227 Cobble Hill, however, has an amazing view of the California countryside. As well, the yard is a little larger than most, given the rear living space an expansiveness uncommon in the community. It's southern exposure brings light deep into the plan. Skylights in eaves further bring light in. The large planes of glass, both the front and rear of the house, blur the difference between interior and exterior.

The living room addition on the rear of the house has a high ceiling that clears and preserves the original roofline. The clearing out the crown mouldings and shag carpet, the rest of the renovations have restored the essential intent of this midcentury home.

This Eichler has four bedrooms, two baths, and is 2158 square feet.

2227 Cobble Hill is one of twelve homes that Inertia was able to visit in May on the Eichler Home Tour 2017. Earlier, we wrote about other houses on the tour, as well as posted a gallery of Eichlers that weren't included in the tour.

Inertia and Gravity Welcome Sadaf Rabbani

Inertia is happy to announce that Sadaf Rabbani has joined our team.

Sadaf received a Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering from the University of Tehran, Iran, in 2008. During and after graduation, Sadaf worked for three years as an architectural designer in an architectural firm, where she gained design experience in several residential projects ranging from single family to multi-residential buildings. 

After moving to Canada, Sadaf started her Master of Architecture study at the University of Calgary, and received her degree in 2014. Following that, she started working as an intern architect at IBI Group, where she was involved in several projects ranging from commercial to residential buildings. Sadaf has gained experience in different stages of the design process including programming, schematic design, design development, building code review, construction documentation, and construction administration. To extend her knowledge into more detailed aspects of residential buildings, Sadaf joined Inertia Corporation in March 2017. 

2090 New Brunswick

While many of the houses we saw on this tour were immaculately showable, this house was only partway through it's renovation. While the unrenovated parts of the house were closed off (the bedrooms and bathrooms), the rest of the house looked fantastic.

This Eichler is considered a 'true atrium' model. Rather than having a skylit forecourt, this house surrounds it's interior courtyard that is almost entirely open to the sky. It also serves as the entry to the home as the front door opens directly into the atrium. Windows face the atrium from three sides (there are no windows in the garage wall) meaning that someone sitting in the front office can see clear through the courtyard and the kitchen into the back yard.

Recent renovations include taking down the wall between the kitchen and the entry to open up the space, and updating the kitchen with a large island and new cabinets.

We had a great conversation with the owner who seemed very happy to be showing off the work he's put into his home. He did tell us a secret: his own furniture was hidden in the bedrooms and the rooms he was showing were staged by the San Mateo location of Scandinavian Designs, an American retailer of contemporary furniture.

If you look closely at the pictures in the gallery above, you'll see a pair of frameless windows that makes the brick fireplace appear to be sitting within an unglazed opening in the side of the house. As well, you might catch Trent enjoying the disposable footwear we all had to wear. (They didn't want us tracking any Eichler awesomeness out onto the street.)

This Eichler was built in 1958, has four bedrooms, two baths, and is 1710 square feet.

2090 New Brunswick is one of twelve homes that Inertia was able to visit in May on the Eichler Home Tour 2017. Earlier, we wrote about another house on the tour, as well as posted a gallery of Eichlers that weren't included in the tour.

Nooshin Esmaeili Joins Inertia and Gravity

We've very happy to have Nooshin Esmaeili with us at Inertia and Gravity.

Nooshin received her Masters of Architecture from the University of Calgary in 2012. Soon after graduation she became registered as an Intern Architect with the Alberta Association of Architects (AAA).

Prior to joining Inertia Corporation in 2017, Nooshin was involved in various industrial, commercial and healthcare projects at Amec Foster Wheeler and at Stantec. She gained extensive knowledge in different phases of the architectural process including design, contract administration and project management.

Welcome to the team, Nooshin!

1755 Lexington

Owners of Eichler houses have to decide if they are going to renovate or restore the building, or some combination of the two. In the case of 1755 Lexington Avenue, the owners were able to find a mostly original home that required some work to return it to the original aesthetic. Happily, the cinderblock fireplace and much of the mahogany panelling and was intact. The flooring, roofing and landscaping, however, needed replacement. The end result is very much in the spirit of Eichler.

This Eichler was built in 1956, has four bedrooms, two baths, and is 1730 square feet.

1755 Lexington is one of twelve homes that Inertia was able to visit earlier this month on the Eichler Home Tour 2017. We posted a gallery of Eichlers that were not on the tour in an earlier blog post.

Seeking Architectural Technologist

Inertia is currently undergoing a period of growth. With this expansion and increasing number of projects, we are in need of a team player to who will extend our great reputation for high quality work while maintaining our positive working environment. We are currently searching for an Architectural Technologist that has experience using Autodesk Revit.

As an Architectural Technologist, the successful candidate will be responsible for generating new architectural designs, including plans, elevations, details, perspectives and other views as required. The Technologist will principally be working in Revit, though he or she will also be helping with project management, drafting, administration, interacting with clients and vendors, occasionally going on site, working on a variety of projects, and will be set into an excellent position of growing within this expanding firm.

The successful candidate will be in possession of an Architectural Technologist Diploma and will need to have an understanding of both the Alberta Building Code and the Calgary Land Use Bylaw. The Technologist will also need to have meaningful experience with Revit. Inertia is a firm that is always interested in individuals that have experience working on a variety of projects, but having residential experience is an asset as this is our firm’s specialty. These are the minimal requirements for this position, with all other experience being advantages for the successful candidate.

An excellent opportunity awaits the successful candidate, including a competitive base salary, and a opportunities for growth within the company. If you believe that this could be a perfect fit for you, please send your resume immediately, or if you know the perfect person for this position then feel free to forward this correspondence. All applications will be kept in the strictest of confidence.

To inquire about or apply for the position, please visit the job posting on LinkedIn.

Jason Glasser Joins the Inertia Team

With Inertia's growth, and the creation of Gravity Architecture, we saw the need to bring on a professional project manager to ensure that every job we work on proceeds as smoothly as possible and that very little falls through the cracks. We met Jason in December of 2016 and were able to bring him on board at the beginning of January this year.

Jason brings more than 20 years of industry experience. He started ‘on the tools’ as a framer and HVAC installer while attending Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. After graduation, Jason worked at small architectural firms working on institutional and commercial projects in Ontario, and then transitioned to Calgary as a Senior Architectural Technologist and job captain on large scale institutional projects. More recently, Jason had the role of Project manager and Contract Administrator working for architectural firms such as Kasian Architecture, Sahuri + Partners, and the Calgary Airport Authority. 

We've very happy to have Jason on the Inertia and Gravity teams.

Welcome Kerri Hallman

We're pleased to announce that Kerri Hallman has joined our team at Inertia and Gravity.

Kerri comes to Inertia Corporation with 20+ years’ experience in the architecture industry. Kerri graduated on the Dean’s List from 3 year Architectural Technologies program at St. Clair College of Applied Arts & Technologies in Windsor, Ontario. Her first job was with a small firm in Victoria, B.C. and upon moving back to Calgary she has worked with Cohos Evamy Partners (Dialog), Riddell Kuczaba Architecture, Poon McKenzie Architects (NORR) and Sahuri + Partners.

We're very happy to have Kerri on our team!

San Mateo Highlands

Joseph Eichler built iconic Mid-century Modern houses in California in the 1950s and 1960s. While he built over 11,000 houses over his career, the The Highlands of San Mateo, California is the largest contiguous development of Eichler homes. This past weekend, we had a chance to visit eleven of the approximately 700 Eichlers in the Highlands, as well as one in nearby Burlingame. We'll revisit most of them individually in this blog, but we wanted to begin with a gallery of houses that were not on the tour just so you can become familiar with the context of this unique late 1950s communities.

SAM Award Winner

Congratulations to RNDSQR and Gravity Architecture for the BILD Calgary Region SAM Awards win this past weekend. The eight unit project the Gravity team designed for RNDSQR in Mount Pleasant won in the category of Best New Design Villa/Duplex/Townhome 1,200 sq. ft. and over.

This project is one of Calgary's first R-CG rowhouse projects. It features seven two-storey-plus-basement rowhouse units, plus an additional two storey unit located above the garages on the lane. The residents each have their own rear amenity space, and also share a common courtyard amenity space in the centre of the property.

Pre Paint

The Brideland House was getting ready for interior painting last week. The windows were masked, the flooring was covered, and the heaters were running. Those oriented strand board sheets aren't part of the look; those are temporary guards standing in for the glass ones that will be installed later. The glass guards will be set into the aluminum shoe that you see in these pictures, and that shoe will be clad in black metal to match the stringers. A black handrail will be affixed to directly to the glass. (Those spruce steps are temporary as well!)

The exterior is also being worked on this week: black Longboard is being installed. We'll get some pictures posted here as soon as we can get them.