Architects: DAAS – Design and Architecture Studio
Area: 949 m²
Year: 2024
Photography: Hayden Patullo
Manufacturers: Diamond Steel Roofing
Lead Architects: Raphael Neurohr, Tomasz Sztuk
Landscape Architecture: George Harris Collaborative Inc.
General Contractors: Plaid Shirt Projects
Mechanical: MNA Quality Consulting
Electrical: EMBE Consulting
Civil: Scheffer Andrew Planners & Engineers
Energy Modeling: Acacia
Intern Architect: Mateo Rodriguez
Architectural Technologist: Winnie Steetz
Architect: Ben Barrington
City: Calgary
Country: Canada
Carisbrooke Residence by DAAS (Design and Architecture Studio) reinterprets the traditional single-family dwelling within the evolving urban fabric of Calgary. Designed for a compact inner-city site, the residence balances density and domesticity through a composition that privileges light, landscape, and human scale. Organized around a sequence of private and shared outdoor spaces, the home integrates sustainability strategies and durable materials to ensure long-term resilience. The design elevates essential building systems above the flood line, while its massing and orientation maximize solar access throughout the year. In its restrained geometry and careful use of brick, steel, and glass, the project conveys a quiet modernity rooted in the principles of contextual response, environmental efficiency, and civic sensitivity.
Set within Calgary’s established urban context, Carisbrooke Residence embodies DAAS’s commitment to crafting architecture that is both responsive and enduring. The project occupies a narrow infill lot, requiring a design approach that reconciles privacy with openness and spatial economy with architectural clarity. Rather than dominating the site, the house organizes itself around a landscaped courtyard that acts as a central hinge between interior and exterior life. This space mediates between the street and the home, encouraging natural light penetration while fostering a subtle sense of community engagement within an otherwise quiet residential street.
The architectural strategy draws inspiration from Calgary’s dual character—a city that is both expansive and intimate. DAAS structured the residence along a north–south axis, aligning living areas toward optimal sunlight while shielding service zones to the east. This orientation enhances passive solar gain and natural ventilation, reducing dependence on mechanical systems. Materials below grade are non-organic to prevent long-term degradation, and all primary systems are elevated above the designated flood height, ensuring durability and safety within Calgary’s flood-prone regions.
Materiality plays a defining role in the project’s restrained expression. Brick and steel are used for their permanence and low-maintenance qualities, while glass introduces moments of transparency that reveal the home’s layered spatial order. Diamond Steel Roofing contributes to the structure’s tactile integrity and visual coherence, allowing the residence to age gracefully within its environment. The palette establishes both contrast and continuity, echoing the rhythm of the neighborhood while maintaining a distinctly contemporary presence.
The landscape, designed in collaboration with George Harris Collaborative Inc., extends the architectural intent beyond the building envelope. Hardscape pathways and soft planting zones define gentle thresholds between the public sidewalk and private entry, reinforcing a sense of progression and belonging. The western courtyard, in particular, becomes a semi-private gathering area that invites casual interaction while maintaining the intimacy of domestic space.
Through its careful orchestration of massing, material, and light, Carisbrooke Residence demonstrates how contemporary architecture can achieve urban density without sacrificing human comfort or contextual sensitivity. It reframes residential infill not as an act of compression but as an opportunity to foster continuity—between residents, the street, and the broader city. The result is a refined architectural statement that embodies DAAS’s philosophy of designing for longevity, adaptability, and civic generosity.
Project Gallery
Project Location
Address: Calgary, Canada
The location specified is intended for general reference and may denote a city or country, but it does not identify a precise address.
