Introduction:
5100 Fallowfield Road West is the site of one of the Ottawa Valley's many Victorian farm houses. Well over a century old, the home's owners appreciate its charm and nostalgia, but like many in their position are frustrated by its incompatibility with modern North American life. Short on washrooms, lacking a garage and generally awkward in too many ways to list here, the house is especially unsuited to the couple's elderly parents, who are eager to live near their growing family. The home's steep stairs and uneven floors are posing an increasingly dangerous threat to their well-being.
A solution to many of these problems lies in our proposal, a rather large 'granny-flat'. Intended as a private but nearby home for the grand parents, use of the two-car garage would be shared with the existing house. The ground floor also contains the dwelling's 'public' living space; the kitchen, a sunny eating area and a living room with excellent views though the large bay window. A powder room and laundry room are also on the ground floor. The smaller, more private second floor provides two bedrooms and full bathroom.
In determining the home's layout, our prime concerns were quality of space and efficiency of movement. Guests would not have to climb stairs, nor would someone needing to use the washroom during the night. While a single floor configuration may have addressed these concerns more thoroughly, it would have consumed too much of the lot. It also would have denied the occupants the expansive country views best enjoyed from a second-floor, and would have made it virtually impossible maintain the Victorian architectural language.
Acknowledging the presence of the farmhouse is a must in our scenario. It is the clients' desire, and the city's Heritage Committee's requirement that we do so. While this does not necessarily imply replicating the home exactly, is does influence such features as window proportions and placement, roof pitches and exterior finishes. By addressing these concerns, our project is likely to gain approval from the Heritage Committee.
However, our project also requires approval for a zoning amendment. The current zoning, Rural Agricultural Zone (Ru), does not allow for the construction of an inhabitable secondary structure. Officials at City Hall estimate such a process would take over a month at a cost of at least $1000, and is at the moment unlikely to be passed. We assume, however, that the rezoning of this lot is inevitable because of its location. Near the intersection of Richmond Road and Fallowfield Road, the large communities of Kanata and Barrhaven are fast encroaching from either side. The smaller, but much closer community of Fallowfield has also seen recent growth. With the relatively recent addition of the 416, with an interchange at Fallowfield/Strandherd, urbanization is likely to happen any year now. This can either take the form of exclusively monotonous, homogenous tract housing, or it can incorporate a variety of land uses, such as those suggested by our proposal.
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Functional Program Areas
Functional Program